Sonic the Hedgehog (Dark)
by Firecarryer
Summary: FemTails. Very dark. During the war on Eggman, Sonic saves a Tails from an attack on her home and takes her in. Together, they'll fight Eggman and their own pasts. Bad summery, bad title but a good story. WARNING Contains a very abused Tails, may be graphic later.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: Few changes from the normal world of Mobius.**

**First, yes all Mobians are clothed. It helps with the plot later.**

**Second, this is very dark. I know I mentioned this in the summery but Tails is a girl, and very, very abused by her mother and father.**

**With that out of the way, a quick hopefully better summery. Eggman has his empire, which has been at war with the Kingdom of Acorn for the last 25 years. Sonic has only joined the war five years ago and has a personal score to settle with Eggman. This is the beginning of the end of the war.**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog. And after writing this, I think it might be a good thing.**

Something was wrong with dinner tonight.

Not that it hadn't tasted good, nor that for the first time in weeks Miley had as much as she wanted to eat. Heck, even after enjoying the meal where she'd stuffed herself her mother had brought out cake. Cake! That should have clued her in but once again her stomach took over and now she was in bed with two pieces of cake in her, feeling round and tired.

Tired wasn't good. Sleep made her vunerable. Not that being awake helped any but at least she wasn't giving the satisfaction of being startled awake.

Miley forced herself to relax, willing her muscles to let her sleep. "It should be fine," She thought. "It's mom's turn this week and why would she bother herself after giving me such a good meal? I should be safe."

But she knew there was no rationalising her mother's actions. What Miley just ate could have been a treat to lull her into a false sense of security, or payment for the rights to treat her worse. Not that she thought her mother could treat her worse.

The Universe seemed ready to prove her wrong.

The door to her bedroom creaked open and Miley's heart jumped to her throat. "No, not tonight. He never comes tonight!" She thought desperately, trying to rationalise the door opening, frantically denying what was happening. "It's mom's turn, she never shares her turn. He shouldn't be here!"

The sound of heavy footsteps told her otherwise. A sudden weight on her bed jarred her, and a soft voice called to her. "Miley?" It crooned. "Sweetheart, you awake?"

Miley couldn't move. She lay there, paralyzed as she stared up at her father. He gave a low chuckle. "Did you enjoy dinner? Your mom made it extra special for you." Miley's eyes widened and her father's hands played with the bottom of her pyjamma top, feeling her belly. "My you did enjoy it, didn't you chubby girl? And how much cake did you take?"

Miley had enough and tried to force her body away. But she couldn't move. His chuckle rose into a deep laugh. "Ah, she did a good job. It looks like it was worth trading three days to her for this." Realisation sank into Miley as her father spoke. While she lay there,he slowly started undoing her buttons.

"It was real smart of her, wasn't it? Feeding you all that through all the food and lacing the cake full of paralytic. You can't pull away right now, can you?" He laughed again, huskily. "But you'll do all right for tonight. No struggling, only natural complience. What else can you expect from a freak?"

Miley winced at that, begging her body to move but she was stuck. Her dad pulled her shirt from her, leaving it undone over her shoulders as he ran his hands down her torso. He let his fingers linger around her chest, gently feeling before slipping lower. "So, how do you want this? Slow and a few times or fast and many?" Miley only whimpered and he laughed harshly and huskily. Miley just closed her eyes and prayed it would end soon.

Before her father could make it any farther, there was a low whine from outside that caught his attention. Turning to face the window, her father squinted as he looked outside, trying to determine what was happening. Before he could respond, the wall and house exploded. Miley watched her father get flung back as the walls collapsed. Her bed had flipped during the explosion and was sitting over top of her, pinning her legs. The ceiling groaned and collapsed, causing her to black out.

After a while, Miley groaned as she slowly came to, her head pounding. Coughing lightly from the amount of dust, she looked around and saw slabs of wood and plaster that made up her ceilling and she wondered why she wasn't crushed. She tried to move and found her legs to be trapped. Squinting, she followed what was trapping her legs and allowed herself a bitter grin.

Her bed frame was solid steel, built by her dad himself and he was good with machines. The frame had been made to withstand and restrain her when her dad had been in a "kinkier" mood. Ironically, the bed meant to bind his daughter had just saved her life. She stopped struggling and listened to everything around her, suddenly remembering her house was blown up. A noise to her left caught her attention.

She managed to hold in a gasp as she stared in horror at the feet next to her bed. "Those are Swatbots," She thought numbly, as she was sure death was upon her now. She might not know much about what was going on but she knew Mobians had been at war with the Eggman Empire for years. But Swatbots had never made it as far into the Knothole Kingdom as her house as long as she could remember. Had the front lines fallen?

"Hurry," A voice snapped. "We don't have much time. The other attacks have already been neutralized. We need to make some sort of progress today. Grab the Mobians."

Miley frowned as she listend to the commanding voice. It sounded strange, like nothing she had ever heard before. It sounded completely off from every Mobian she had ever met. In fact, it almost sounded... human?

Miley felt her blood run cold. She forced her body to contort and twist out from under the rubble as she looked from under her bed to look at the speaker. Even as she started to look, she understood exactly who was there and what was going to happen. She wasn't going to die today. That would be too kind a fate for her.

"Hurry it up. Bring those two over here," The bald head turned and snapped at the Swatbots that were holding onto her parents.

"Yes, Doctor," The mechanical voice droned as it pushed the struggling fox Mobians forward.

The alarm rang out for the third time in his dorm and Sonic bit back a groan.

It was the middle of the night and he had just run through two opperations. He might be able to move at the speed of sound but even Sonic grew tired and when he did, he crashed completely. And the Freedom Fighters knew that and rarely disturbed his sleep when possible.

Obviously tonight it wasn't going to be possible. Sonic finally let out the groan as he reached over and sat up, rubbing his eyes with one hand and activating the holo-com with the other. "What is it Sal?" Sonic asked tiredly as an image of the Acorn Princess appeared.

Sally raised an eyebrow at Sonic's shirtless for but simply straightened her vest and told him, "There's been multiple attacks on central civilian homes tonight. I've sent out all the Fighters I can spare but I need you to handle this job Sonic."

Sonic sighed and rubbed his forhead, leaning back into his bed. "Sally, I completed two full team missions solo missions today. I'm exhausted. Can't Amy or Rotor handle it?"

"Sonic, Eggman is in the Knothole Kingdom."

Sonic bolted upright. "What?" He demanded.

Sally expanded the view of the screen and pointed to the flared dot. "This is the latest attack location. The satalite reports live Mobians and the Doctor only had one reason to keep such beings alive. You just destroyed his Robotcizer so that means that he has to Robotcize everything himself. He has to be there Sonic."

Sonic blurred out of the Holo-com view for a moment and appeared fully dressed in his combat gear. Slipping on a combination eye-piece/ear-piece, he nodded deftly to Sally. "Upload coordinates to me and I'll take care of it. Let's hope Robobut's slow today Sal."

"Don't underestimate him Sonic and don't strain yourself. Just try and get those Mobians out alive." Sally ordered. Sonic saluted and the device in his ear beeped, imputing a map to the lens over his left eye. With a grin, Sonic shot off into the night.

It took almost no time for Sonic to arrive. Not that he thought that it would be otherwise; he was the fastest thing alive. He just hadn't expected there to be enough time for everything he was seeing to have happened.

The entire street was a mess. Buildings were collapsed, fires were burning and Mobians were running everywhere. Swatbots were doing their best to round everyone up but the most frightening ones chasing people weren't the Swatbots. They were the Robotcized.

Sonic shuddered as he saw three Robotcized Mobians, or Robians, chasing after those who may have once been their neightbors, devoid of free will and far more deadly than any Swatbot could hope to be. Oh it was posisble to resist the control that came from being Robotcized but why would you? Normally by the time you are one, your life was over anyways. Robotcized Mobians were discriminated against and in many situations, executed for losing control. Eggman offered a much easier way out, so most took it.

Fortunately, Sonic had another solutiont that didn't involve killing. He built up his speed and shot forward in a Spin Dash, knocking the three Robians off their feet. "Run," He commanded the civilians as he readied himself, drawing power from deep within him.

The Robians got up and focussed in on Sonic, who was one of the highest priority targets. He shot backwards as the first went to strike him, lightly deflecting a second blow while never taking his eyes off the Robians. All three shot forward and he dodged backwards, blocking and occasionally knocking away but he did his best to avoid hurting his assailents. He just wished he didn't have to hurt them at all. But it was unavoidable, so he simply focussed and let his power build.

He fell back slowly, letting the Robians surround him. Before any could strike, he sucked in a deep breathe and blew on them. Chaos mixed with the air in his lungs and released in a slow breeze that surrounded the Robians and where Chaos touched them, Mobian flesh began to return.

The three recently cured Mobians collapsed as Eggman's monstrosity left their forms. Sonic stared at them for a moment, the sudden drain of energy locking him in place. Taking several deep breathes, Sonic forced himself to move again as he dashed forward and started destroying the Swatbots and yelling, "Get into the clear, and bring the ones over there with you. They're cured; they are no longer Robians!"

He didn't wait to see who was listening to him, Sonic's only goal was to remove the Swatbots and find Eggman. The Swatbots were an easy task, and soon all that was left behind was piles of scrap metal that would be gone by morning. Sonic made sure there were no more bots hiding around anywhere before taking off towards Eggman's signal.

Sonic started to draw up Chaos energy while he ran and nearly collapsed. After all he had been through today he had no more energy to spare. Try as he might, there was no way for him to use any more Chaos power until he had some rest. With a grimace, Sonic pushed himself to go faster, hoping that there weren't any more Robians waiting for him in the night.

"If wishes were fishes," Sonic thought as he stared at the two captured Mobian's in Eggman's grip. Well, only one was literally in his grip, a small orange kitsune who was struggling as the power of the Roboticizer crawled up its body. Already the transformation covered the Mobian's legs and arms. He wanted to stop the process but he knew it wouldn't help. Very few Mobian's survived being partly Robotcized, which was part of the reason that Bunnie was such a valuable member of the team.

He wasn't entirely sure what he should do. If he interefered now, the Mobian could be half-Robotcized and potentially rescued. But at the same time, such an action could kill the Mobian, especially if even one organ had be Robotcized. Once even on organ was Robotcized, it ceased to function and that could mean a quick or excruciatingly long death. Sonic had seen it once and the Mobian was begging to die by the end of it. He didn't know if he could live with it again.

But with Eggman right there, he couldn't wait for him to finish. "Just once," Sonic thought, "I'd like a fight with him to be fair."

Sonic decided waiting wasn't an option. Maybe he'd only have to fight one Robian and he could bring that one back with him. With a little rest or a Chaos boost, he could reverse the Robotcizing process. Sonic dashed forward, slamming through the first wave of Swatbots and slamming into Eggman himself. He kicked away the now fully Robian and grabbed Eggman by the throat.

"I'd order those Swatbots to back down if I were you Eggbutt," Sonic told the Doctor, a grim smile on his face. "After all, wouldn't want me to get startled and snap your neck, would we?"

Eggman's eyes widened and he tried to swallow, before managing,"Sonic? What a pleasant surprise. I didn't expect to see you yet. perhaps we can talk about this civilly?"

"Civilly? Why Eggy, I don't think we've had a single civil exchange in the five years we've known each other." Sonic told him cheerfully. "Those Swatbots still haven't lowered their weapons you know. And don't waste either of our time using that arm of yours: we both know what happens when you touch me."

Eggman's hand fell limply to his side as he scowled up at Sonic. "Ah yes, your blasted Chaos powers. First Shadow, the that pink girl, and now even you. What is it with hedgehogs and their affinity for Chaos always ruining my plans?"

"You're the genius doc, you tell me. Now get rid of those Bots so I can avoid doing further damage to you." Sonic told Eggman, a look of disgust on his face.

"What? After all those years chasing after me, you aren't going to kill me? Shame on you Sonic, disobeying orders!" Eggman sneered.

Sonic snorted. "These are my orders. If were up to me, I'd have just killed you now by slicing right through you and your Bots. No, the order is to keep you alive, which is coming from way over my head. Someone has big plans for you," Sonic grinned grimly.

"Ah, I'm a hostage now. Snively can't run the Empire alone because everything is programmed to obey me," Eggman mused. "And with that in mind, he'll have to bargain to get me back. That means all the Mobians I captured in the raid last month will have to be released, won't it?"

Sonic shrugged. "I wouldnt know. I didn't expect you to keep them alive. Now let's go Eggman, before I'm forced to disobey my orders."

"Oh, and I wouldn't want that, would I?" Eggman chuckled darkly."But before you drag me off to wherever it is you're planning, I have one quick question."

"Shoot," Sonic replied, never taking his eyes off the mad doctor.

"Why didn't you deal with my second latest Robian when you had the chance?" Eggman asked him innocently as said figure tackled Sonic from beind.

Sonic grunted as he hit the ground, knocking the Robian off of him only for the second to rush for the attack. "Keep him busy," Eggman ordered the Robians as he gathered his Swatbots. "I'm pulling out. There's nothing more we can do here."

Sonic knocked away the Robian on his back, starting himself up into a Spin Dash while he yelled, "Oh no you don't. Get back here Eggman, I'm not done with you!" He started forward with his famed attack, only to try and pause partway through.

One of the Robians was right in front of him.

Sonic wanted to stop, wanted not to slice through it. But Robian's metal skin stood no more chance than ordinary flesh and blood and Sonic tore through the Robian with ease. He stopped, horrified as he stared at the remains. Eggman laughed loud and smug, scolding Sonic, "You should be more careful with those civilians rodent. They just can't help getting in the way."

The other Robian was no longer directly attacking Sonic, instead blocking his way and striking him whenever the hedgehog hesitated. He was already injured but he didn't want to hurt the Robotcized Mobian anymore than he had to. But as he watched Eggman getting away, and felt his injuries worsen, Sonic didn't have any choice. With a painful grimace, Sonic made his deciscion and charged forward.

He hated how easy it was to end the Robian's life. His spines gave him a weapon that slashed through steel as easily as a hot knife through butter, leaving no second chances for the victim. Sonic took a moment to look at the remains of the Mobian before turning in the direction Eggman had run.

It wasn't that far. He could take off after him. Granted, Sonic was now thouroughly exhausted and injured but he didn't care. Eggman was all that was holding his empire, and the war efforts, together. He would gladly end his own life to end that war.

But he didn't run. Something held him back, keeping him the ruins of the rubble. Sonic looked around, staring at the house. He could see the remains of walls, a door, and the tipped over bed.

The bed surprised him; it was made of steel. Steel was a commodity because of the war and right now people treated it better than gold. To make a bed entirely out of steel would be a waste. But if someone was in it, and it flipped over them...

He cautiously approached the bed, his mind intruigued by the idea that someone could be underneath it. But knowing Eggman, it could be a bomb underneath it rather than a Mobian. So to avoid getting too close, Sonic held back, staring and wondering why this was trumping taking off after Eggman. After staring for a moment, Sonic sighed and turned to follow the Doctor. But as he did, he saw what he'd been looking for.

Something moved under the bed.

He didn't even think, just moved. Sonic ran to the bed and lifted it, one handed, with his other hand reaching beneath. There was someone there, a young fox Mobian. Sonic flipped the bed off of the child and stared. The child wasn't moving, was barely breathing but very much alive.

Eggman suddenly didn't matter. Sonic knelt down and gently picked the child up, terrified that he might hurt them further. Then he noticed the tails.

Sonic winced as he picked the Mobian up. A two tailed Fox, or a kitsune, wasn't appreciated in society. If Robian's were discriminated against, beings like kitsunes or himself weren't people. He was "affectionanetely" called a Freak by the majority of the kingdom and he was a hero. Someone like this would be hated for being different, and normally only had their parent's to rely on.

"And I killed them," Sonic thought ruefully. He didn't want to after Eggman. He knew he should, that going after him would be a best. He could catch up with him, end the war today.

At the cost of this child's life. He knew that a Freak wouldn't survive a day alone, with no home or family. The Orphans Of War wouldn't take a Freak even if there was room for them. But after so many years, the Orphan's houses were full, and even if Sonic pulled strings to allow this child in, no one could take them.

Sonic looked back at the direction Eggman had run off in. He couldn't catch him now. Even the fastest thing alove needed to know where to go and Eggman could be anywhere. He looked at the child again and closed his eyes. He knew he shouldn't do this, but he was out of energy, there was no way to catch Eggman and this child needed him now. He reached, deep into his Chaos reserves and called on a power he could only use when he was drained, when he had nothing left.

"Chaos Control," Sonic murmered, the force of the words negating how quiet they were. There was a bright, brief flash of light engulfed him and he was gone, nothing but the rubble remaining.

Sally was getting worried. Sonic should have reported in by now.

She didn't have a logical reason to worry. Sonic was their best solo fighter, and he had made more progress against Eggman in five years than the entire Kingdom had in twenty. And it wouldn't be the first time the doctor had jammed communications during an attack. But something felt off tonight, something that she didn't like. The Chipmunk girl shuddered as she stared out of the Freedom Fighter's HQ, looking for the trail of dust to let her know Sonic was ok.

"Sonic, where are you?" She wondered out loud, still staring out the window. She hoped, almost expected Sonic to come dashing from the kingdom back to the base the moment she asked the question.

She didn't expect to have him fall on her from behind, knocking the wind out of her. She landed with a grunt, rolling away as Sonic lay, barely moving and craddling something.

"Sonic!" Sally snapped. "What on earthis the meaning of this?"

Sonic croaked something that she didn't catch. Sally's anger wasn't satisfied but her curiousity was peaked. "What was that?" She snapped again. Sonic gave a hoarse cough, before giving her an answer that stopped her cold.

"Child," He rasped. "Dr. Quack." With that, Sonic uncurled himself a bit, revealing the orange kitsune in his arms.

Sally knelt down, gently taking his burden from him. Sally lay them both out on the floor before pressing the call button on her desk. "Rotor, Big, I need you two in here imediately. And someone, wake Dr. Quack immediately. He has two patients who need him now!" An affermative call from Rotor confirmed that he was on his way. Sally knelt down, staring from the child to her comrade. "It'll be fine now," She whispered to them, wishing she felt as confident as she tried to sound.


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog.**

**Chapter 2**

The glare of florescent lights greeted a groggy Sonic as he woke blinkingly in the medical wing. He glanced around for a minute, squinting as his eyes attempted to adjust to the light. He didn't see anyone around but as he started to stand, a hand pushed on his shoulder with a chuckle.

"Not this time, hedgehog," A familiar voice told him. "You pushed your Chaos limit again. They even had to wake me up."

Sonic looked over his shoulder and saw a black hedgehog standing behind him. "Well, shucks faker," He told Shadow. "I'd hate to cut your beauty sleep short. You definately need it."

Shadow sighed. "Why do I bother?" He asked the air. "I'm sarcastic, everyone upset with me, if I'm nice I'm mocked. I just can't win."

"Course not," Sonic laughed. "What would be the fun of playing if you always won?"

Shadow just shook his head and tossed a small gold object to Sonic. "Here," He told him. "Dr. Quack wants to see you and Sally right away. You need sleep more, but this will do for now."

Sonic sighed with relief as he absorbed the Ring, feeling the Chaos energy flow into him. "Thanks Shad," He told him, stretching and standing up. "I hope I'm not impacting the reserve Rings too much."

Shadow shook his head. "Nah, it's fine right now. We've been stockpiling them for the hospitals but a few here and there aren't any problem. Just learn some control hedgehog. I don't want to keep pulling your spiney butt out of the fire."

Sonic laughed and headed for Dr. Quack's office, surprised to find an angry Quack and a slightly nervous Sally already waiting for him.

"What's up Doc?" Sonic asked. Dr. Quack glared at him and Sonic winced. "Sorry. But seriously is something wrong?"

Dr. Quack muttered under his breathe. Sonic didn't catch it but the words didn't sound friendly. "Horatio?" Sally asked the Duck Mobian. "What's wrong? Is the child all right?"

Sonic's mind suddenly caught up to the present and he remembered the kitsune. Dr. Quack didn't let Sonic repeat the question, instead looking at Sonic with a harsh glare. "She is not all right. Sonic, I need to know something before I answer any questions. Where are her parents?"

Sonic winced. "Dead," He managed; as blunt as it was, it was hard for him to say it. Sally looked at him, confused at first but understanding suddenly followed. She sighed and turned to Horatio, waiting for the lecture.

It never came. Dr. Quack turned away and growled, "Good!"

Sonic was shocked, Sally was visably taken aback. As the physician for the royal family, he took his oath to preserve life above almost all else. To hear him say something like this... "Doc, what's wrong with the girl?" Sonic asked gently.

Dr. Quack snarled something and motioned for Sonic and Sally to follow. They turned to where there was a curtained off bed, and Dr. Quack threw the curtain open, revealing the naked Mobian girl. "Look for yourself!" He snapped.

Sonic looked away at first, out of politeness for the girl. But when he heard Sally whimper, Sonic turned to look. He wanted to cry out as well.

The kitsune was painfully thin, which was visable even with her thick fur. There were patches of fur that were thickly matted with dark, crusty brown and patches were missing along her stomach and arms. And where the fur was missing, she was obviously bruised. She was underfed, filthy, and obviously beaten.

Sally was biting her lip, and looking to Dr. Quack for answers. The doctor was angrier than Sonic had ever seen him, when he began listing what he found. "I did a full biopsy on her," He snarled. "Aproximately fourteen years old, malnourished, wounds left filthy and untreated from over a month ago, burns on her back what looks like trauma to her torso and arms, and she was drugged with a paralytic. And I found vaginal scarring."

Sally gasped. Sonic looked down at the child, not fully comprehending what had the doctor was saying. "What happened to her?" Sonic asked, horrified.

"One or both of her parents abused her, raped her on mutiple occasions, and left her to starve because I'm guessing she was drugged into submission anytime she did get to eat! Is that clear enough for you?" Horatio snapped. Sonic swallowed audibally and Dr. Quack sighed. "I'm sorry Sonic. I'm tired. I've treated so many victims of Robotnic and now seeing our own people doing this..."

Sally rested a hand on his shoulder. "We understand Doctor," She told him warmly. "It's early still. You won't be needed for a few hours. Why don't you get some rest?"

Dr. Quack shook his head. "No. I'll quit early tonight instead. I'm sorry princess but after seeing this..." He shook his head. "She'll need someone to stay with if her parents are dead. I think one of us would be best."

Sally and Sonic exchanged looks and nodded. Dr. Quack was refering to the Freedom Fighters needing to take her in. No one else would likely accept her and right now this girl needed to feel safe and accepted.

"Who can take her?" Sally asked. "Amy's too young, and besides, she's living with Cream right now. It wouldn't be fair to Vanilla to dump another child on her, especially someone like this. She wouldn't know how to deal with it."

Sonic nodded. "And she can't go with Antoine and Bunny," He pointed out. "They're living at the palace, and if Elias saw this, he'd flip."

Sally winced and agreed. Her bother was currently reigning because their father was too ill govern and because of the ongoing war there had been a few less than popular and if he saw this girl, he'd be angry enough to make a stupid deciscion on racism policies. "And that leaves me out as well," Sally said reluctantly. "I live here or at the palace and this girl would need a seperate enviroment than just HQ. Big's a hermit right now; he doesn't hvae a proper home."

Sonic looked down at the girl and turned back to Sally. "I can take her Sal," Sonic told her gently.

Sally looked at him in shock. "Sonic?" She asked him. "No, I can't ask you to do that."

"I'm volunteering." Sonic told her firmly. "No one else can take her. And I owe it to her Sally. I killed her parents."

Sally looked upset but didn't comment, looking undecided. Sonic cracked a grin and added, "Besides, its not like you think I'd be a bad parent, hmm Sal?"

Sally blushed at the reminder. Though they were no longer together, there had been a time when the two had been younger, that Sally had shamelessly told Sonic she thought he'd be a great father, and she looked forward to proving this to him. "All right, fine," She muttered, trying and failing to hide her red cheeks. "We'll talk to her when she wakes up. You should take the day off and let me know if you'll need more time after this." Sonic nodded; Sally couldn't easily spare him but she would if it meant helping this child.

Both pulled up chairs, Sally with her paperwork, Sonic with a pillow, to sit down and wait until the little Mobian woke up.

Miley groaned and clenched her eyes shut. Her head felt weird, halfway between pounding and numb and she didn't want to open her eyes. The first time she tried, she was met by a harsh white light and she clenched her eyes shut after that. "Am I dead?" She wondered.

No, she wasn't dead, she found out. Being dead wouldn't hurt this much. She waited until the pain subsided to squint her eyes open again. "What is that sound?" She wondered. She slowly tried to sit up, but it hurt too much so she turned her head in the direction of the sound. Her eyes shot wide open.

She found Sonic, the hero of Mobius and Knight for the Royal Acorn family, sound asleep by her bed. "And he's snoring," She thought with a chuckle. "Bet the press would _love_ that for an image."

She scolded herself for having such rude thoughts. This was Sonic the Hedgehog. She shouldn't be thinking things like that. "Nor should I think about how he looks..." She shut that thought out in a hurry.

"Hey Sal, I think our guest is awake," She heard a voice announce. She looked back over and saw Sonic staring at her with one eye open. "You gave us quite the scare there kid. How're you feeling?"

Miley froze. He was actually talking to her? She heard a sigh and turned to see a female chipmunk walk into view. "Really Sonic? Still as classy as ever..." She shook her head before sitting down on the bed beside Miley. "But the question is valid. How are you feeling? Do you hurt?"

Miley swallowed. She couldn't place who this chipmunk was but for whatever reason she radiated authority. "A little," She admitted.

The chipmunk nodded with a smile. "Which means you hurt all over, too much to move right?" She asked and chuckled warmly as Miley looked surprised. "I'm in charge of the Freedom Fighters and I have to deal with that guy over there," She pointed at Sonic. "Whenever he's hurt. Some hero, whining over a splinter but trying to walk off being blown up by a bomb."

Sonic shrugged. "The bomb didn't hurt until two days later," He pointed out. He turned to Miley with a warm grin. "Well, glad to see you can talk ok. I'm Sonic in case you didn't know, and this is Sally. What's your name?

"Miley," She answered without thinking. "Miley Prower." Wait, Sally? Miley's mind suddenly lurched into gear and she gasped. Sally! Princess Sally, head of the Freedom Fighters, was sitting on her bed.

Sally must have seen the recognition because she told her, "I'm not the princess here, and I don't expected to be treated as one." There was a gently firmness in her tone. "Here, I'm the leader of the Fighters, charged with keeping the Kingdom safe. Now Ms. Prower, what do you remember?"

Miley looked away. "I remember Eggman coming to my house," She said slowly. "The bed was over top of me. I can't remember much of what happened. The bed had me pinned."

Sally frowned but Sonic nodded. "That's true Sal. That bed was heavy; I moved it remember?" Miley looked over in surprise. He moved the bed alone? Her father was strong by Mobian standards and even he needed help moving the bed.

Miley looked around the room. It was empty except for Sally and Sonic. A cold thought ran over her. "Where are my parents?" She asked, afraid to know the answer. If Eggman had captured them, they'd be Robotcized and she didn't want to think about what would happen if they found her after something like that.

Sally sighed and looked at Sonic. He frowned and looked like he was struggling with his words. "Well," He said awkwards, rubbing the back of his neck. "They're... dead Miley. They died during the fight with Eggman."

Miley couldn't believe it. "Dead?" She whispered. It was a strange feeling. She felt, alive almost. Elevated. "Are they really dead?" Sonic nodded. She let out her breathe in a deep, relieved sigh. Sonic looked a little more comfortable after that, but Sally looked worried.

"Well, since you're awake and you're beyond needing medical attention, we're need to discuss housing," Sally told her, smoothing out imaginary wrinkles from her vest. Miley suddenly was very aware of her naked state and felt a slight heat forming in her cheeks. She started to, what she thought was discretely, pull the blanket up over her chest, earning her a gentle chuckle from Sonic.

"Sorry but I've already seen it, and if you're going to be staying with me, you're gonna need my help getting dressed," Sonic told her. Miley's slight blush erupted into her face turned into feeling like someone plugged her face into a wall socket. Sally just sighed and turned away.

"Well, that cat's out of the bag. Yes, Sonic volunteered to take you in. Others were willing but they didn't have suitable housing." Sally told Miley, while the young girl looked both a little excited and scared. "Sonic, for now, for the sake of this girl's modesty, why don't you wander over and find some of my clothes that'll fit her while I help her get cleaned up." Sonic nodded and left, moving at a walk to give the girls time while Sally helped Miley out of bed.

Miley was embarressed by how helpless she was but was even more ebarressed by how filthy she was. She saw dried blood and dirt coming off her frame onto Sally's clothes and tried to pull away but Sally held her tightly. "I deal with sweat, tears and blood on a daily basis," She told Miley. "Surely my vest can take a little of yours. Besides, it misses the field."

Somehow Miley hadn't expected the princess as a field agent. Sally just smiled sadly and told her, "How can I ask others to fight if I won't? Now, let's get you cleaned up."

Miley was too injured for a proper bath and showering was out of the question. She managed to sponge herself off a bit and Sally helped her with the rest. Sally left her to take care of the rest on her own, which Miley was grateful for. She took a few minutes to take care of the nescesities and spent a moment staring at herself in the mirror.

She winced at her own appearence. She was far to thin, and didn't look anywhere near her age because of it. She looked eight or ten and she had just turned fifteen. Miley gently ran a hand over her torso, flinching as she felt bruised or furless areas. She looked like a very ugly child. No wonder Sonic hadn't been embarassed looking at her.

As if he'd heard the thought, there was a hesitant knock on the door, which she leaned over to open. Sonic opened it appologetically and told her, "Sally got called away. Freedom Fighters aren't on leave today, otherwise she'd want to stay and help. Can you stand on your own?" Miley nodded hesitantly. "You still need some help right? I figured. No matter how tough you are, not many people walk off having a house dropped on them. Here, these are some older clothes of Sally's. She's a little taller than you but they should fit."

Miley nodded again, this time shyly as Sonic helped her get dressed. She was surprised at how gentle and yet efficiant he was. She thought back to how Sonic and Sally had acted, and her curiosity got the better of her. "Are you and the princess together?" She blurted.

She wished she could take that back but Sonic just chuckled. "We still act like that, do we? No, we aren't together. We were a few years back but when we reformed the Fighters, it didn't work out. We try not to let it affect us professionally. I mean, we're still friends but it can be a little hard to interact when you used to, and to some extent still do, love someone. No matter how hard you try to seperat yourself from it, you still love them. But now we try to act more like siblings. Easier for both of us."

Miley nodded feeling a light amount of resentment. Sonic, for all the pretty words, had just admitted he still loved Sally. "At least he won't try and steal anything from you," A dark voice in her head told her. "He's hung up on the chipmunk girl. He wouldn't touch someone as ugly as you with a ten foot pole."

That hurt but felt accurate. She was ugly, even if she wasn't compared to the princess and Sonic wouldn't be tempted to "put her to good use" in a hurry.

Miley was soon fully dressed and Sonic helped her from the bathroom. "Dr. Quack has you schedualed to discharge you from the wing by this afternoon," He told her. "There's a raid planned against Robotnic this afternoon. We're the closest emergancy hospital so the doc's getting ready to act. We'd better clear out before we get in the way. You feel up to walking a bit?"

Miley shrugged and pushed off the wall unsteadily on her feet. "Maybe, if we move slowly." She told him. Sonic nodded and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Wouldn't want you to fall over would we?" He asked her. Miley blushed and tried not to respond.

Sonic talked for most of the way, the walk a short one but taking a while because of how injured Miley was. It wasn't just the paralyitc drug that had made moving dificult; it had been long past injuries on top of the house falling on her. But Sonic, for all that he moved so quickly, seemed fine with slowing down and helping Miley as she hobbled along, his arm firmly around her waist. He didn't stray in his step or loosen his grip. "We have time and we do't need you to fall. You've had a bad enough day without that."

Miley wordlessly thanked him for that. Even with her hobbling, they made it to Sonic's house much sooner than Miley would have expected. Sonic helped her in the house and seated her in his small kitchen. "Here you go," He sat her down, then turned and grabbed covered container from his fridge. "I'll show you around the house after you have a chance to eat." He set the plate, covered in pasta.

Miley looked at it surprised. Sonic chuckled. "I'm not much of a cook, so Bunnie often sends me over meals. Antoine's teaching her to cook, and if there's one thing that guy's good at besides whining, its cooking. Go ahead, take as much as you want."

Miley hesitantly took a bite, a small smile crossing her face as she tasted it. It was good, even when cold and after her few hesitant bites she ate as much as she could hold. She cleared less than half before pushing it away. Sonic cleaned up and gave Miley a minute to keep her food down. She hadn't eaten a full meal often, besides last nights, and she wasn't used to so much food. After she was certain she wouldn't be sick, Sonic helped her up and showed her where everything was.

The house was surprsingly small for the proclaimed Champion of Acorn. It appeared to have only two bedrooms, as well as two bathrooms, the tiny kitchen she had eaten in, and a living room that took up most of the ground floor. Miley wandered it with Sonic, a little surprised by how simple it all was.

Sonic was very good at reading her, or else she was just more obviously than she hoped, as he told her, "It's not much but it's my home. I lived her with my parents befre the war. I've been offered a place in the palace but I think that it's better that I live here. Keeps me down to earth."

Miley nodded, looking around the house. There weren't really any pictures on the walls. She saw a few group photos of the Freedom Fighters, with Sonic surrounded by his friends. She winced as she followed the pictures down the walls, each photo having less people in it. "Doesn't seem like you need brought down to earth," She said cautiously. "But this is amazing. I like it here."

"I'm glad," Sonic told her and he sounded like he was. "I was a little worried you wouldn't want to stay here with me. It gets a little lonely living alone at home."

Miley nodded again but didn't comment. She wanted to ask Sonic about his parents but she didn't think it would be right. He didn't seem to want to broach that topic and she wasn't going to push him. Sonic took her to the end of the hallway and told her, "Here you go. This can be your room."

It was a small bedroom, mostly taken up bya surprisingly large bed directly under the window. There was a small closet and dresser and a lamp but other than that, the room was empty. Miley hobbled in on her own, leaning against the wall for support. "This looks great," She told Sonic as sincerly as she could.

Sonic nodded and said, "We'll need to pick up some clothes for you later but I can probably talk to Amy about that. She's much more into girl's fashion than I am." Miley chuckled a little at that. "I'll give you a few moments alone to get settled. You need anything, just give a holler."

Miley nodded and Sonic turned to leave. "Sonic?" She said hesitantly. He stopped and looked back at her. "Thank you. For everything."

Sonic smiled the first honestly happy smile she'd seen. "No problem Miley. No problem at all."

Sonic sighed as he sat in the living room, book in hand as he tried to read. Normally on a day off he stayed in his home on the couch, watching the news and reading. But tonight it was harder than he thought.

He'd cooked dinner tonight, making his specialty, chilli dogs. Uncle Chuck's recipe still worked and never failed to delight. But the long day had caught up to Miley and after dinner he'd found her sound asleep upstairs. It was still early, and being hot and muggy he opened her window in hopes of getting some sort of a breeze in her room. He wasn't bothered by it but the young fox seemed to toss and turn, sweat forming on her brow so he'd opened the window. With the war, even electricity was restricted and he didn't see the point of using it to cool the house. She seemed better after he opened the window, so he'd let her be.

So it wasn't Miley that was bothering him. He sighed and set down his book. Miley wasn't capturing his thoughts directly but he knew that whatever it was, he wasn't going to be reading today. So he tried to puzzle out what it could be.

This wasn't easy. Sonic tried not to think about the past for a very good reason; it was the past. When you fly through life at the speed of sound you don't always make the right choices. There were a few things that he'd done in the past that he wasn't proud of and he didn't like dwelling on what he'd done. But something was tugging at his thoughts and he couldn't put his finger on it.

He didn't know why he was thinking about this. Memories tried to surface and he forced them down. He didn't need this. He didn't need to remember. This didn't happen often. He didn't usually have to fight the memories back; they were content to stay burried. So what was different?

Miley? She was the only thing different in his life now. He thought about it. She may be the cause but that shouldn't be it. He hadn't had the memories come up since...

Since he'd been with Sally.

Sonic shook his head ruefully. "Of course," He thought. "As soon as I start being happy." He was happy around Miley. She seemed to want, need somebody to be kind to her and he was happy to offer that. After everything she'd been through, after everything he'd done, he wanted to help someone.

That wasn't everything but it was enough for now. Sonic looked outside, seeing the sky slowly darken. "It's getting pretty late," He thought tiredly. He knew he should get up but the couch was too comfortable. He felt his eyes droop and didn't bother fighting sleep. He tucked his head into his chest, ready to sleep.

A bloodcurling scream ripped through the air.

Sonic shot straight up. He had fallen asleep and during that time, a storm had broken out. The power was out but the lightning and wind left little of the storm to the imagination. Sonic looked around and the scream happened again. It was coming from Miley's room.

Sonic didn't waste any time, running up the stairs that he knew by memory into Miley's room. He looked around the dark room, unable to see but able to feel something was wrong. He cautiously inched forward and in a flash of lightning, he saw Miley, cowering in the corner of her bed, soaking wet, her window open and the storm trying to invade her room.

Sonic forced the window shut, almost slamming the shutters closed as he struggled with the storm. Even with the window closed, the light and sound of the storm doesn't end and Sonic cautiously approached the fox child. "Miley?" He asked quietly. "You all right kid?"

Miley didn't answer but she looked in the direction of his voice and after seeing his face, tackled him with a sob. Sonic was knocked over, Miley's arms wrapped tightly around him and her face burried in his chest. "Don't go," She sobbed, muffled by his shirt, her body trembling. "Please don't go!"

Sonic froze for a moment, starled and a little afraid but he relaxed and gently held Miley, strocking her head like a child. "It's ok Miley," He told her softly. "I'm here. I won't leave you. I won't ever leave you."


	3. Chapter 3

**Yay chapter three of abused Tails. Wait, what? Wow I'm screwed up... Anyways, happy chapter for Tails, and hopefully a few more following this one.**

**Author's note: I realised that my division of my story, normally done with stars, does not show up after I upload chapters. From now on, I'll be writing with POVs to separate out my chapter. Probably doesn't need to be said but I like redundant statements.**

**Disclaimer: *sigh* Why on Earth would Sonic be such a happy tale if I owned it? Of course I don't own it. Mores the pity...**

(General POV)

Sonic woke the next morning, sitting up in a room he didn't recognise immediately. Recognition came after he felt something nuzzling his chest and he gave a small smile. Miley was sound asleep, her head nestled firmly against Sonic's chest and her arms tightly around him. She looked calm, content, even happy as she slept. He absently stroked her head, and she gave contented sounds and nuzzled tighter.

"How could someone hurt someone like this?" He wondered. "Who could take someone so innocent, so beautiful, and just hurt them." As Sonic sat there with Miley, he regret for killing her parents waned. He wouldn't try and be a parent, he couldn't be one, but at least he could be a damn sight better than her real parents were.

Sonic sighed gently and looked at his watch. It was still early but he knew that Sally needed him in today, regardless of her offer. Besides, he figured that Miley needed interaction more than anything. The Freedom Fighters would understand. Nobody would judge Miley there.

But first, he had to wake her up. That was a bit of a challenge because Miley was sound asleep. Sonic shook her shoulders gently a few times, calling her name and Miley didn't move. With a sigh, he gently tweaked her nose. "Come on kid, you need to wake up now," Sonic told her gently.

Miley's nose twitched and she sighed as her eyes fluttered open. Sonic smiled at her and told her, "Morning."

Miley's eyes shot wide open and she scurried back, blushing. Sonic raised an eyebrow and waited but no explanation was given. "Well, rise and shine kid. I need to head into work today, and I think you should come with me. The Freedom Fighters are good company and I think you'll be safer at the HQ than you would be in my house."

That caused Miley, still blushing, to tilt her head confused. "Why wouldn't your house be safe?"

Sonic just forced a chuckled. "You can have the first shower. I'll whip up some breakfast." Miley looked confused but nodded. Sonic headed downstairs, still slow but he called back, "Let me know if you need any help. I'll be up in a blink."

Miley smiled but didn't respond. It was embarrassing, but reassuring that Sonic was that willing to help. Lucky for her remaining shreds of dignity she was able to crawl her way along the wall and into the bathroom without assistance from Sonic. She managed to shower, and even dress which felt good. As helpful as Sonic was trying to be, it was embarrassing beyond belief to need him to put her clothes on her.

Getting down the stairs was currently beyond her but Sonic was apparently patiently waiting for her. For the fastest thing alive, Sonic was surprisingly patient with her. Breakfast was simple and Sonic appeared to have already eaten, as there was only one place set. "Help yourself. We need to be quick; I'm late as it is. I'll just shower quickly while you eat and I'll whip us over to HQ." Miley nodded but Sonic was already gone and she heard water running a moment later. With a shrug, she started eating, aware that Sonic had put a time limit on how long the food was available.

She needn't have worried. Sonic took his time showering and Miley had plenty of time to eat her fill before he came down, fully showered and changed. "Ah good, you're done. We're going to have to hurry to make it to HQ on time." Miley looked a little surprised.

"Umm... Sonic? I kinda can't walk properly right now. How are we going to hurry?" Miley asked hesitantly. Sonic raised an eyebrow and Miley suddenly paled. "Sonic? Can we talk about this for a sec-"

Sonic didn't let her finish, probably because he knew what she was going to say. He swept her off her feet bridal style before she could protest and took off out the door. Before she could even fully register what was happening, she was staring at a blur of trees and buildings. Her heart leapt into her throat as her world shifted direction, adrenaline sharpening her senses as they all but flew to the Freedom Fighter's HQ.

Finally Sonic stopped at the front doors, slowing to a stop to not jar Miley any more than necessary. As he set her down, Miley struggled to remain upright, her body shaking. "Miley?" Sonic asked, worried. "Are you ok?" Miley didn't respond. "Kid? I'm sorry, really, I just wanted to get us here quickly, I didn't mean to scare you."

Miley shook her head and straightened, her eyes gleaming. "That was amazing," She told him. "I've never felt anything like before. Can we do that again later?" Sonic chuckled and nodded before helping her inside.

Instead of taking her near Sally's office, he led her deep inside the base, going into the basement of the building. Miley tried to memorize her way through the maze of tunnels but it made her head spin at the moment. After descending a few levels, Sonic opened one of the sealed doors. "Rotor?" He called. "You in there?"

A heavy sigh greeted him. "Yes, for anyone who cares enough to visit a cripple. Come on in Sonic, and tell me what you want."

Sonic grinned and led Miley into the massive workshop, full of half-finished machines, tables of parts and designs pinned up along the walls. He helped her across the room, where Sonic kept looking around for someone. "Rotor? Where are you?" He called out.

A light amount of shuffling to her right alerted Miley to turn her head where a large figure approached from behind what appeared to be a half-finished car. "Sonic. Haven't seen you for a few weeks. Thought you forgot about me."

"Never Rotor. Sally's just had everyone, and I mean everyone, running their tails off." Sonic told him. "Even you've been busy down here and you're supposed to be on rest leave."

"Rest leave?" Rotor snorted. "No amount of rest will fix my back. Even you and Shadow can't do anything about it. No, I'm down here because I couldn't stand being in bed another day. And who is this young lady behind you? Don't be afraid, I don't bite."

Miley, who had been hiding behind Sonic, blushed and peeked out from behind the hedgehog. Rotor was Walrus. That surprised Miley for a moment; the Walrus Herd rarely traveled south because of the heat, and very rarely did they travel alone. Were there other Walrus' around here?

Also she could see that Rotor didn't seem to be able to stand up straight. He was obviously making an effort but it seemed that he was permanently hunched over. She edged her way out from behind Sonic and hesitantly spoke. "I'm Miley. It's nice to meet you, Mr. Rotor."

"Ah, so you're the one I've been hearing about." Rotor gave her a warm smile. "You gave a us quite a scare young lady. So why is she here Sonic? I thought you had the day off."

Sonic shook his head. "No. Sally offered it to me, but the truth is she can't spare anyone right now. You're suit is still a prototype, Bunnie and Antoine are needed between here and the castle and that only leaves a few of us for missions. But Miley needed to stay at HQ and besides Dr. Quack, you're the only other person here who needs help."

"So you were hoping to drop her off here for the day?" Rotor asked with a chuckle. "Just leave her here and hope for the best?"

Sonic looked down sheepishly. "Sorry Rotor. I just thought..."

"You thought that after everything that Miley's gone through she wouldn't be up to helping Dr. Quack, isn't ready for field training and I could use the company." Rotor told him with a chuckle. Sonic swallowed and rubbed the back of his head. "It's fine Sonic and you're right. Everyone's been so busy that I haven't had a visitor for a few weeks. Miley can give me a hand for the day. Now, off with you; you're dying to go on a mission. Don't deny it; you've got that glint in your eyes."

Sonic nodded, took a moment to look at Miley. "You ok with this kid?" He asked quietly. Miley looked at Rotor, before nodding to Sonic. "Ok. I won't be long. I can finish most of the missions in a flash. See you later." He took a few steps away before taking off as a blur.

(Miley's POV)

Rotor chuckled. Miley looked over with a confused look. "Oh its nothing. Sonic just never changes." Miley kept a confused look on her face. She didn't understand.

Rotor just shrugged. "Sonic has a good heart but he's only sixteen. You probably noticed he seems overly patient with you?" She nodded. "Sonic normally isn't that patient. It's hard for him to slow down, which is understandable because he is the fastest thing alive but he makes an effort with people he cares about to slow down. But after a little while, he needs to run and there he goes. He's like a little kid at that point."

Miley nodded. "Kind of like keeping you from working on your machines for too long, right?" She asked him.

Rotor laughed. "I stand wounded. You're a sharp one." Miley blushed and tucked her head. "Now, come on. I'm going to take a shot in the dark and say that you haven't worked on machines before, right?" Miley nodded. "Well that's fine. Let's head over here and I'll introduce you to the tools."

Miley started walk over but her legs gave out. Rotor caught her, moving faster than she thought someone as large as him could, and he winced as he helped her up. "You ok?" He asked her, with a slight grunt.

Miley slowly shook her head. "Sorry, I can't walk properly right now. Are you ok?" She asked him with concern. Sonic and Rotor had both said the Walrus had a damaged back and she hoped she hadn't done more damage to it.

Rotor grunted and forced himself a bit more upright. "I'm as good as I'm going to be. I guess we both have something in common. I had my house dropped on me too." Miley's eyes widened as Rotor helped her across his workshop. "But mine was more like a bunker. A slab of cement landed on me and damaged my back. I had to be taken off field duty after that."

"Can't Dr. Quack do something about it?" She hadn't met the doctor but she had heard Sonic mention him multiple times. She thought she remembered her was the royal physician, so she figured that if anyone could help, he could.

Rotor shook his head. "Dr. Quack's good but even with the Ring technology there isn't much anyone can do. My back has damage to the bones and tissue. I'm building a suit to support it but until then I just have to deal with it. Ah here we are," He approached one of the large benches, covered in wrenches, hammers, and many other tools that Miley didn't recognise. "I'm going to tell you the names of a few of these tools, just to get you a little bit more familiar with them. After you know the general names, we'll start working. You'll learn much faster if you're working with the tools. Now let's get started.

Miley nodded and listened intently as Rotor walked her through the different tools. It didn't take very long; most of the names and functions were fairly straightforward. After his short explanation, Rotor told her to lay out some tools while he grabbed a set of designs.

Rotor lay out his blueprints, showing Miley what appeared to be the design for a new armoured car. "We'll be working on this. The army sent me these blueprints over. It's their idea for an armoured supply transport. They haven't been able to make it work, so they sent it to me to give it a try."

Miley nodded slowly, looking the drawing over. Rotor went over the tools, nodding once and looking pleased before he came back over. Miley studied the blueprints intently, mostly ignoring Rotor checking over her work. "Rotor, this vehicle doesn't have any weapons designed in. How does it deal with a threat?"

Rotor sighed. "That's the problem. It doesn't. The army's lost too many resources with the supply units engaging the enemy so they wanted one that could only run."

Miley nodded slowly. "Well, then wouldn't this be the first problem?" She pointed to the design for the roof. Rotor looked at it, openly surprised and gestured for her to continue. "Well, this roof looks designed to take recoil based on the centre, like for a mounted gun. But if it doesn't get the gun, then it isn't designed to take a blow at this point, making it vulnerable. And even though that's only a small portion of the roof, it still affects the general design because you have to change the shape."

Rotor nodded slowly. "So make the top more streamline?"

"Maybe, if that will help the speed but I'd be more inclined to make an additional curved layer to shield the top," Miley told him. "A little bit of speed doesn't help if a missile hits you where you have no armour."

Rotor looked very excited as he handed her a pencil. "Show me what you're thinking," He told her. Miley was a little surprised but complied, drawing in what she thought would be suitable corrections.

Rotor looked at the designed, made a few corrections but as he worked, a large smile came over his face. "Miley, you and I are going to have fun," He said, pulling out a blank sheet and some stools.

(Sonic's POV)

Sonic sighed wearily as he made his way down to Rotor's workshop. He had been right, Sally had needed him in today, and every other Freedom Fighter available. Eggman had launched another raid on the Border Towns, and he'd been sent in to help secure three separate towns. They really needed a better transportation system. He was first, second and third response to any threat, because that was how long it took the Army to fly in Amy, Big and Cream. Those three were much more efficient than him but it took them far too long to make it anywhere.

Rolling his shoulders, Sonic wondered how Miley was doing. She had seemed fine when he dropped off with Rotor but he wondered how happy she'd actually been. With a chuckle, he wondered how much help she would have been. He'd worked with Rotor before, and he hadn't had a clue what the Walrus had been asking him. He hoped Miley wasn't too frustrated with Rotor.

Sonic made his way into the workshop, calling, "Rotor? Miley? Anyone here?"

"Just a second. Tails, you all right on your own for a minute?" Rotor called up. An affirmative sound followed and Rotor wandered over to see Sonic. "Took you long enough. What was it today."

"Border raid." Sonic said tiredly. "Army planes can't get near with Egg-but's Death Egg around. My back-up had to take a cab."

"Oh, the army was that slow getting them in?" Rotor asked.

"No, they ran out of troop transports and literally called a cab." Sonic replied. The look on Rotor's face told him the Walrus didn't believe him. Sonic could hardly believe it either when Big, Cream and Amy got out of a little yellow taxi in the middle of a war zone.

"So anyway, how's Miley doing?" Sonic asked.

"Ask her yourself," Rotor told him, leading him to a large pulley system. Sonic looked up to catch a glimpse of a yellow fur on the top of a board, working on the wing of a plane. Sonic raised a surprise eyebrow at Rotor, who just chuckled.

"Looks like your ride's here Tails," Rotor called up.

"Ok, tell Sonic that I'll be down in a minute. I've just got to finish the fuselage here." Miley called down. Sonic just shook his head as Miley started pulling herself down with her tails.

"She does good work," Rotor told Sonic. "Quick as a whip this kid. She's been a real help." Miley blushed as Rotor helped her down.

"Really? Someone helped you? Rotor are you feeling all right?" Sonic asked, in fake horror.

"Just because you're all thumbs..." Rotor told him. Sonic just laughed.

"Seriously though. If she's coming in tomorrow, send Tails down to help me. She's a great help." Rotor shrugged his shoulders.

"Tails?" Sonic asked, giving Miley a sideways look.

"Long story. Short version is, Antoine couldn't say Miley. He kept calling her "Millay" and finally, I suggested a nickname might be in order. Our ever-so-creative Coyote friend could only come up with Tails."

Sonic rolled his eyes. "Of course. 'Twan's not exactly active in the creativity department." He looked over at Miley. "You ok with the nickname?"

Miley shrugged. "I really don't care at this point. Anything was better than "Millay"."

Sonic thought about it and shrugged. "Well, if it what's you want, I don't see the harm in it. Come on, lets head out, and Rotor will actually get some sleep too."

"Wait, get some sleep? How late is it?" Miley asked.

Sonic shrugged. "The sun set a few hours ago, that's all I know. At least we don't have to be here early tomorrow."

"Speak for yourself," Rotor grumbled. "I have to be on call 24/7."

"Sorry to hear that. See you tomorrow Rotor." Sonic told him, helping Miley out the door. Rotor waved in response, racking a few tools and rolling up his plans.

Sonic helped Miley out of HQ and started to help her walk home. She looked a little surprised and disappointed, but Sonic just helped her walk, waiting for the question. Finally, Miley looked at him, a little hesitant, asking "Sonic?"

"Hmm?" He responded, pretending ignorance.

"Could you run us home again?" She asked quietly, embarrassed but excitement gleaming in her eyes. Sonic chuckled and didn't respond immediately, looking away. When he glanced over, Miley was looking at him with puppy-dog eyes.

Sonic heaved a sigh, as though it was a great burden but he smiled as he swept Miley off her feet. "As you wish," He told her, before they took off.


	4. Chapter 4

**Yay chapter 4. This one's a little darker than before and it all goes downhill from here. I feel oblidged to warn you the happy bubble has just been popped and next chapter might change this story's rating.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog. I know its a shocker, given I'm writing a fanfiction, but there it is.**

(Sonic's POV)

"This is getting to be a far too comfortable way to wake up," Sonic thought ruefully as he looked down at the sleeping Miley snuggled against him.

Miley was doing much better, though it would have been hard for her to be doing worse. It had been a month since Sonic had saved her, and in that time she had been healing. She was able to walk on her own within two weeks and had started gaining enough weight that she was starting to look her age. "She really is pretty, despite what she thinks," Sonic thought.

He shook that thought out of his head. That was part of the problem thought. Miley was almost healed physically, but emotionally she was a wreck. She was happy while she was working with Rotor, or while she was talking to Sonic but she had a hard time around the other Freedom Fighters. He'd be right that they didn't judge her but none of them knew how to interact with her. They treated Miley like she was fragile, and in many ways, she was. And she wasn't getting better. Even a month later, she still had her nightmares every night.

He didn't know what to do. Dr. Quack didn't either. The Duck was a fantastic doctor but he told Sonic, quite firmly, "It's hard enough treating the body. I leave the mind alone."

Sonic sighed. He really didn't know what to do. On one hand, Miley was recovering rapidly, doing amazing in her training, and she was happy. Happy working on her machines, happy with Rotor, and happy with him. On the other hand, she was getting worse. Miley was taking longer to fall asleep, her nightmares were more intense and there wasn't a damn thing Sonic could do to help her.

"This is like Hope all over again." Sonic thought glumly. Then he snapped his head upright. "Wait, Hope! Shadow!" He hadn't spoken to his mentor very much lately, both of them being sent out on missions. But he knew for a fact that today, Shadow would be stuck doing paperwork and Sally needed Sonic on the base today while Rotor tested his suit on a mission.

"Shad will know what to do," Sonic figured. He gently shook Miley's shoulders. "Miley? It's morning."

"Already?" She mumbled. Opening her eyes, she sighed and sat up. "Sorry," She told Sonic, looking down. "I woke you up again, didn't I?"

"It's fine Miley. You don't try to, and it isn't your fault anyway." Sonic told her. She didn't reply. "Want me to start breakfast while you shower?" He asked.

"No, I want to try out one of Antoine's recipes," She told him. "Besides, you cooked for me since I got here. I can start doing some of the work too." Sonic nodded and headed for the shower while Miley headed to the kitchen.

(Miley's POV)

Breakfast was simple, pancakes and eggs, but she hadn't had time to learn much else, especially considering that Antoine's recipe for pancakes was three pages long. But it was worth it; she had never tasted anything like them. She hummed to herself, loving the feeling of being in her house.

"_Not yours_," A voice in her head reminded her. "_Sonic's. Everything is his. You've been living off his charity for months. You owe him. You belong to him, and sooner or later, he will come to collect._"

Miley shuddered and pushed those thoughts away. She wished that voice in her head would shut up, but she couldn't help but feel it was right. She did owe Sonic, and she was living in his house. Why wouldn't he expect something in return? And she didn't have much to offer, except herself.

Her train of thought was broken when she heard Sonic coming downstairs. "Need a hand?" He asked her, coming up behind her. Miley shook her head, her throat closing up as Sonic came near. What was wrong with her? This was Sonic. He wouldn't try anything.

She felt a gently hand on her shoulder. "Miley?" Sonic asked her quietly. He was very close to her now. "Something wrong?"

Miley swallowed. She could feel him, he was so close. _"Too close,"_ The voice whispered. _"He's up to something."_

"No, I'm fine," Miley managed. "Ummm, could get some plates? This is ready." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sonic nod and she managed to keep from sighing with relief. She quickly served them both and sat down, hurriedly eating her food.

"Miley, it's ok. You don't have to rush," Sonic told her.

"But we're later than usual. Sally's going to be mad if you're late." Miley reminded him.

Sonic laughed. "Miley, I'm the fastest thing alive. As long as we allow about five minutes, I can get us to HQ on time." Sonic reminded her. "And Sally would be upset if you were late too. She says your one of us now."

Miley smiled a bit at that, but it was mostly forced. _"You couldn't outrun him,"_ It told her, ignoring Sonic's comment about Sally. _"He's the fastest thing alive. You'd never get away."_

Miley shuddered, and Sonic noticed with a frown. "Miley, that's the third time this morning you've shivered like that. You all right?" He stood up and walked towards her. His hand reached for her face, but Sonic just gently felt her forehead. "You're a little warm. Are you coming down with something?"

Miley shook her head, her face a little flushed. "I think I'm ok," She told Sonic. Getting up, she told him, "I'm not that hungry. I'll just go and get my shower now, ok?"

Sonic just shrugged. "Miley, you live here to. You don't have to ask to do things like shower, really. You're free to do what you like."

Miley nodded and headed up the stairs. _"You can do anything except leave,"_ The voice reminded her. _"He'd always be able to catch you."_

She wished the voice would shut up, but she couldn't help but feel it was right.

(Sonic's POV)

He was a little worried as he dropped Miley off in the Freedom Fighter's HQ. She was really off today, and she didn't seem to know what to do with herself now that Rotor was gone for the day. When he offered for her to stay with him, she told him, "No, Sally needs you on call today. I'll be fine Sonic; I won't need a babysitter. I'll just help Sally out today."

He didn't like it but he agreed. Miley was acting like she needed to be away from him today, so he decided to let her be. "Ok Miley," He told her. "I'll be around HQ all day but I'm off early today, so if you want to, we can head home early today."

Miley bit her lip. "Umm. Sonic? Could I head home by myself today?" Before Sonic could ask or protest, she hurriedly told him, "Nothing's wrong; I just need some time alone. Please Sonic? I know the way. I'd be fine."

Sonic looked at her and sighed. "Something's up, but she's scared to tell me," He thought. "Good thing I'm seeing Shadow today; I think I waited too long to begin with."

"Sure. Not a problem. I'll wait for you at home then," He told her. Miley nodded and smiled before heading towards Sally's office. Sonic shook his head as he headed for Shadow's. "Here's hoping he's in a helpful mood," Sonic thought.

(Miley's POV)

Miley headed for Sally's office, trying to ignore the almost hurt look on Sonic's face. "I hope he isn't mad," She thought. "I just want some space. I didn't think that was a bad thing."

"He doesn't want you alone, without him," The voice reminded. "You might try and run. And he owns you."

"Shut up," She muttered to herself as she knocked hesitantly on Sally's door.

"It's open," The princess called tiredly. Miley opened it and entered, still a little hesitant. Sally looked up and gave a tired smile from behind a stack of papers. "Hey Miley. What's up kid?"

Miley looked down sheepishly. "Rotor's out field-testing his suit, so I was wondering if you needed some help today."

Sally sighed and for a moment, Miley thought the princess was upset about being bothered. "Miley, I would love some help right now," She told the Fox, "But Bunnie and Antoine couldn't even see this paperwork and they advise my brother. If you could, it would be great but I'm afraid that you can't. I'm sorry." Miley nodded and Sally gave a rueful sigh as she went back to her paperwork. Miley let herself out, closing the door quietly behind her.

She sighed as she walked down the hallway towards the communal room. Amy and Cream were off on a mission today with Rotor, making sure that his suit worked, Bunny and Antoine were at the Palace overseeing negotiations with one of the neighboring kingdoms and Nicole, who Miley had met with Rotor as the artificial intelligence that maintained HQ, was always busy because it turned out she maintained half the Kingdom with her nanites.

She sat down in the common room, unsure of what to do. Nobody was around, and even if they were, most didn't want to talk with her. Then she noticed the heavy footsteps coming down the hall. She looked up and saw Big walking down, humming to himself with his fishing rod.

"Hey Big," She called. The large Cat Mobian turned to her, slightly surprised. "You have today off?"

"Yep," Big told her, pausing by the door.

"Where are you off to?" Miley asked him, feeling nosy but asking anyways.

"Fishing," Big's answer was simple again, and he started walking again.

"Can I come with you?" She asked him.

Big stopped and turned around, looking at her curiously. "Do you have a fishing rod?" He asked.

Miley shook her head. Big kept looking at her, not staring but as though he was deep in thought. Finally he turned and told her, "I've got two." And headed out the door. Miley stared for a moment before she took off after him.

(Sonic POV)

Sonic hurried towards Shadow's office and knocked on the door.

"I'm not in," A voice called.

Sonic sighed. "It's me Shadow."

There was a sigh and the door opened. "Hedgehog," Shadow sighed. "Come on in Sonic."

Sonic took the invitation, and the chair that Shadow offered. Shadow didn't sit right away, instead opting to lean against the wall. "Now tell me what's wrong," Shadow said, folding his arms over his chest.

"What's wrong?" Sonic repeated dumbly, startled by the abrupt question.

"You hate coming to me for Chaos lessons, and you always greet me with either Faker or Shad. You did neither. If something has gone so wrong that you're seeking me out, I want everything out in the open before I'm woken up so early in the morning I still qualify it as night." Shadow gave Sonic a stare. "Now talk."

Sonic grinned in spite of himself. "Well, it's not exactly a problem with Chaos," Sonic told him. "I came to you for help."

Shadow raised a hand. "Before we start, does this have anything to with someone's personal problems, history, or emotional crisis?" Sonic nodded. Shadow pointed to the door. "Not my department. I have enough problems of my own."

"Come on Shad, I need your help," Sonic protested. Shadow scowled and kept his hand pointed at the door. "Really Shadow, it isn't about me. It's about the new girl, Miley."

"I don't care about the child you took in Sonic. It isn't my problem." Shadow told him. "I've had enough emotional problems to last a hundred lifetimes. I don't need hers on top of mine."

Sonic scowled back at Shadow. "Damn it Shadow. Do you really think I wanted to come to you with this? I have no one else I can ask. I tried to leave you out of it."

"And you can succeed by letting me get back to work." Shadow told him. "Unless you are here for Chaos tutoring, leave me alone." With that, he shut the door in Sonic's face.

Sonic almost screamed in frustration as he tried the door. Locked. Sonic went to the office window, staring through at Shadow. "Damn it Shadow." He told the door. "Open up. I know you're in there."

Shadow chuckled, looking at his paperwork and told him in a monotone voice, "You have reached the office of Shadow. He is currently unable to take your call. Please leave a message with your problem after a personal message from said hedgehog." His voice returned to normal. "This is Shadow. I don't want to hear about your personal problems. Please leave a message after the beep." At this point Shadow, without looking up, flipped Sonic the bird.

Sonic glared, getting angrier than he had in days. He felt his own ears pop and Shadow suddenly straightened, slowly turning towards Sonic and tensing. "Shadow," He told his mentor angrily. "Why are you doing this? Don't you care?"

"Be very careful here Sonic," the black Hedgehog warned him. "This feels an awful lot like a challenge."

Sonic looked at him and suddenly felt the Chaos energies he had summoned. With a sigh, he released them and slumped to the floor. Shadow turned away, almost looking relieved as he ignored Sonic sitting there.

"Shadow, there isn't anyone else I can ask," Sonic told him. "She's so much like…"

"I'm not listening, Hedgehog and nothing you say will convince me to help." Shadow told him but Sonic heard the hesitation in his voice.

Quietly, so quietly Sonic didn't think Shadow would hear him, he said, "Her own father raped her Shadow."

Shadow sighed. With a disgruntled look, he opened the door, where Sonic looked up hopefully. "I really hate you sometimes," Shadow told him. "Come in, run the whole thing by me. But if this is another Hope case, I will kill you." Sonic grinned and headed inside.

(Miley's POV)

Big was walking ahead, still humming to himself as he led Miley through the forest by the HQ. She was a little surprised that he wasn't travelling farther away and even more surprised about the lake that was right beside HQ. Big looked around in a shrub for a minute before handing her a fairly small fishing rod. "Here you go," He told her as he marched over to the shore. Miley looked at it a bit surprised before going beside him.

"Umm... Big? There isn't a hook on the rod," She told him. He nodded. "How do I catch fish with it?"

"You want to catch the fish?" Big asked her surprised. Miley's eyes widened but she suddenly understood and smiled.

"No, not really," She told him, much to his relief. "So do you just sit here alone while you fish?"

"Alone? No. I have Froggy," Big told her happily. She was very embarrassed when she finally realized that there had been a frog following Big around.

"That's good," She said, not really sure how to respond. Big just smiled and went back to staring into the water. The two sat in silence for a minute, and Miley was honestly surprised at how peaceful this was. There was no pressing need to act, no random memories surfacing. It was calm. Peaceful. She actually felt her head start to nod as she started to drift off.

She shook her head and a small smile started on her face. Big looked over at her and said, "It's good to see you smile. I haven't seen you smile before."

Miley looked over surprised. "Really?" Big nodded. She sighed and curled her feet up underneath herself and set down her fishing rod. "Sorry. I guess I haven't. No wonder no one wants to be around me."

"Who doesn't want to be around you?" He asked. Miley looked at him confused.

"Nobody does, not really. Sally and Sonic spend some time with me, and Rotor likes working with me but everyone else avoids me." She answered hesitantly.

Big shrugged. "I never avoided you. Neither did Amy or Cream. They just don't know how to talk with you."

"They don't?" She asked, caught off guard. Big shook his head. "Why?"

"Because they haven't been through what you have. Amy and Cream both came from good homes, Bunnie and Antoine haven't had time to find out what happened. Rotor and I just didn't know what to talk with you about. We're both male, both adults and with vastly different backgrounds to you." Big shrugged. "You were afraid to approach us and we didn't know how to approach you."

"But you don't have any trouble talking to me now?" Miley asked.

Big nodded. "Someone you trusted hurt you." He told her. "It's not nice, but I can't change it. If I try to, you'll get upset. If I act differently because of it, you'll get upset. So I do neither and you'll be happy."

Miley laughed quietly and nodded. Big grinned childishly and pulled his reel back in. Miley looked at the reel and considered picking it back up. "Does Sonic go fishing with you ever?" She asked, lightly holding the rod as she considered what to do.

Big shook his head. "Sonic doesn't do water." He told her. "And even if he did, he isn't patient enough. He'd try if I asked though. Sonic's like that."

Miley tilted her head, pondering. "Like what?" She asked, not quite following.

Big just shrugged. "He's like that." He answered firmly. Miley nodded, not following but understanding Big wasn't going to explain more.

Suddenly, something pulled on her hands and looking down, she saw that the rod was arching and pulling on her hands. "Big?" She asked him worriedly. Big looked over and his eyes widened in surprise.

"You've got a bite!"

(Sonic's POV)

Sonic looked anxiously at Shadow after he finished telling him everything he knew. Shadow exhaled slowly, shaking his head. "You never have little problems do you?" He asked rhetorically.

"Do you have any ideas?" He asked hesitantly, not sure if he would like the answer.

Shadow shook his head slowly. "There is no easy solution to this Sonic," He told him firmly. "If there was, psychologists wouldn't make any money. If we had more time and someone we could trust I'd say months of therapy but I don't think we have either luxury."

Sonic sighed and slumped in his chair. "So, we can do nothing?"

Shadow didn't answer and he in fact looked very worried now. Sonic looked at him suspiciously. "What is it? Something else you have in mind?" He asked.

"It's risky hedgehog. I wouldn't want us to try it on a whim," Shadow told him. "It involves Chaos powers and I'm not sure if it would work."

Sonic's mind was already reeling. "Chaos power could help?" He asked excitedly. This was something he could do.

"This is why I didn't want to mention it. You think that because you have some control of your powers, they can sovle anything!" Shadow snapped. Sonic looked up at him, somewhere between angry and annoyed. "Sonic, this would not a simple or safe thing for either you or Miley."

"Safe? She isn't safe in her own mind and she hasn't had it easy since day one," Sonic snapped back. "If it will help, if I can help and she agrees, why shouldn't I do it?"

"You could die! Did you ever think of that hedgehog? What would happen to your kingdom without you?" Shadow spat, glaring at him.

"They would go on fighting the war they've been fighting since before I was born!" Sonic snarled. "They would continue as they were, regardless of whether I was here or not."

"Or they would lose. This game has been between you and Robotnick since you joined." Shadow told him coldly. Sonic grimaced at the doctor's true name. "And even if they continued fighting, there would be more deaths, and more territory destroyed. Is she worth that Sonic?"

Sonic glared at him but didn't answer. Shadow gave him a cold glare for a minute and sighed. "I will look into it." He told Sonic in a resigned tone.

Sonic looked up at him in surprise. "What?"

"You have that look hedgehog and I know, that whatever I say, you will do this. So I will help, if only to keep me from being called over in the middle of the night because you have done something stupid again." Shadow gave him a hard look. "Promis me you won't attempt anything without me."

"Nothing with Chaos," Sonic promised. "You know for sure there is a way to attempt at helping her?" Shadow nodded. "Then I'll talk to her about it. It is her choice."

Shadow nodded curtly. "Then that's settled." Shadow turned away, back to his paperwork. Sonic took this as his cue to leave but Shadow called back as he left, "Sonic? You can't keep doing this. You can't win every fight. Sooner or later you'll have to make a choice about who to save. Right now, I don't think you could make it."

"I never will Shadow," Sonic promised him. "I won't lose. I can't."

"Then you will destroy yourself." Shadow told him. "You can't keep this up. You will crash and burn and take half this kingdom with you. But that is your choice, and I hope you're able to make it."

Sonic didn't reply. He turned to leave and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Shadow shake his head. He turned and left. Shadow might be right but he didn't want to deal with this right now. He never wanted to deal with it. And he would do everything in his power to never have to.

(Miley's POV)

Miley was slightly regretting not taking Big up on his offer to walk her home but she hadn't quite realised how late it was. It was getting dark, and she wasn't entirely comfortable being out alone right now. What she was more worried about was what Sonic was going to do with her being so late.

Granted, he hadn't actually specified when she should be home. She wasn't sure he had expected her to come home so late but she had never really told him when she would be home. She hoped he wouldn't be upset.

_"Upset? That's putting it mildly. He will be furious. He probably thinks you ran off,"_ The voice told him snidely. _"He's probably out looking for you, intent on bringing you back. And you're walking right back in. You're too stupid to take off while you can. You just have to make it easy, don't you?"_

Miley willed the voice to shut up but it wasn't finished. _"Unless you don't want to leave. That's it, isn't it? You like him, and you hope that he'll be better than your father. You're just looking to round out your experiences aren't you? Are you planning on Big next? Or is it Rotor?"_

Miley blushed and muttered to herself, "Shut up you. That wasn't my choice and I don't want Sonic like that."

_"Liar,"_ The voice chuckled. _"You had a choice. And you do want Sonic. You whore yourself out to who ever is around you. You just can't quit, and Sonic will be next on your list."_

Miley just grimaced as she approached the door. Hesitantly, she thought about knocking but instead, tried the door and found it to be open. Se quietly came in, feeling both welcome in the familiar enviorment but apprehensive at the same time.

Sonic was sitting in the living room, and looked up as she came in. "Miley?" He said. He stood up and headed towards her. "You're home. Great I was worried; I thought you'd be home later."

"Sorry," Miley mumbled. "I was fishing with Big."

Sonic visibly relaxed. "Oh, good. I thought something had happened to you." He came over and put a hand on her shoulder. "And I'm glad you met up with Big. He's a good guy."

Miley swallowed and nodded. "He is. And I enjoyed fishing."

Sonic shuddered. "You can keep it. Too much water." He told her. He looked over at the kitchen. "I have dinner mostly ready but its cold. I didn't know when you'd be back."

Miley nodded once, surprised. "He thought I'd come back? He trusted me?" She wondered.

_"Of course he did,"_ The voice told her. _"A bitch always returns to her master."_

Sonic sat her down and served them both. After a few minutes of silence, Sonic looked up at her and awkwardly cleared his throat. "Miley, I need to talk with you about something," He told her.

Miley froze. The food in her mouth lost all taste and her eyes wouldn't meet Sonics. "No! Not again. Never again." She thought frantically. "I won't let this happen to me." She pushed her chair away slowly, preparing to run. _"I told you so,"_ The voice whispered gleefully.

"Miley?" Sonic asked, standing up and coming towards her, concern on his face. "Miley, what's wrong?"

"He sounds just like him!" She thought. She stood up and ran. Sonic looked at her in surprise and took off after her. She could hear him behind her, gaining. "He's chasing me!" She felt a strong hand on her shoulder pull her to a stop.

"Miley, what's wrong? Why are you running?" Sonic asked. Miley didn't reply but gave a desperate cry as she struggled, desperate to get away. "Miley, please stop. Don't fight me."

Miley struggled as the voice cackled in her head. "No, no, no, no, no!" Miley screamed, not aloud but in her own head as she tried to squirm out of Sonic's grip. "He won't do this to me; I won't let him!"

"Miley, stop it. You're going to get hurt!" Sonic yelled as his grip tightened. Miley felt his hand tighten to a painful level on her shoulder and she cried out. Acting on instict, she turned her body sharply, slamming her tails into Sonic. Almost surprised, he stumbled over and loosened his grip.

Remembering her training, Miley twisted again, grabbing on Sonic's arm and bringing her feet up. Using both feet, she kicked Sonic square in the chest, using him as a spring board to leap away.

She saw him stumble back, his hands on his chest and hurt in his eyes. Miley didn't notice thought and started running. _"You can't outrun him," _The voice reminded her._ "You'd have to fly to get away."_

Fly? Miley looked back and saw Sonic running towards her. She didn't know where she was running to; the house wasn't that big. She closed her eyes, wishing she could get away. "If I could fly, I'd be safe. I could get away." She thought.

She kept running, her eyes closed. Why hadn't she run into a wall? And why wasn't she feeling the floor anymore? She cracked and eye open, then her eyes shot open.

She was flying. Somehow, probably through a back door, she had made it outside and she was flying. She was off the ground, about ten feet in the air and moving forward. "How..." She whispered amazed. She glanced behind her, her eyes widening. Her tails were spinning from behind, keeping her upright and flying. She stared, wondering how she was doing this. She suddenly realized what was happening, and even with the adrenaline pumping through her system she was feeling the strain on her tails.

She felt it. She was losing altitude and her tails weren't moving fast enough to keep her upright. She was falling. She closed her eyes, her face contorting. "I'm falling.' She thought numbly. "I can't even fly properly." That should have worried her less; given the imminent threat of the death, it should have been the last thing on her mind. But for whatever reason, death wasn't a problem anymore. The only thing that mattered was that she failed.

She was prepared for the fall to hurt, if only for a moment. But instead, she felt a sudden jolt sideways, and her head suddenly spun. "What?" She thought disjointedly. "What on earth?"

She suddenly felt arms around her. "Damn it Miley." Sonic gasped out. "Please don't do that again!"

Sonic? Sonic had saved her. She felt cold suddenly. "He caught me. After all that."

"Miley, please don't struggle again." Sonic's voice broke. "I don't know what's wrong but please stop fighting me."

"He doesn't know?" She thought numbly. "How could he not?" She was shaking now. Sonic noticed and she felt his arms loosen for a moment as he shifted her. The next thing she knew, her head was against his shoulder, his arms wrapped around her in a tight hug.

"Please Miley," He told her, his voice cracking. "You scared me. I thought you were going to die. Why did you run?"

Miley didn't understand. "You were going to hurt me," She said hoarsely. She could feel her throat tightening.

"Hurt you? Miley, why would I hurt you? How could I hurt you?" Sonic asked. "Why would you think that?"

"You sounded like him!" She burst out. "He said the same thing the first time!" She was crying now; her eyes were streaming. She tried to say more but her throat had closed over.

She couldn't see his face but she felt Sonic's arms tighten around her. "Miley, I don't know what I did," He said carefully, "But know this: I won't hurt you. I never would hurt you. I didn't mean to scare you. Please, don't run off like that again. If something's wrong, just tell me." He gently eased her away from his shoulder and looked her in the eye. And she saw real fear and hurt on his face.

"He was scared," She realized. "He thought I was hurt, and he was scared for me." She waited for a comment from the voice but it never came. It was just her, kneeling on the ground with Sonic holding her.

"I'm sorry," She told him hoarsely. "I really am. I didn't, I mean I wasn't," She shook her head. "I won't do that again. I was scared."

"Me too," Sonic admitted. "But that's done. You're safe. Are you ok coming home?" He asked her.

Miley nodded, and tried to wipe her eyes but her hand was shaking. She felt a gentle hand on her face and Sonic's thumbs swiped the tears away. "Come on kid," He said, helping her up. "Dinner ain't getting any warmer."

Miley swallowed and nodded. She didn't remember eating since breakfast but she was so tired now. Sonic led her inside but even as she sat down, she was pretty sure she wasn't going to be eating. She felt her eye lids droop and before she could think of moving, she fell asleep right there at the table.

(Sonic's POV)

Sonic didn't notice Miley had fallen asleep right away but even after he noticed, he let her be. Whatever else had happened, he had scared her and chased her. She was exhausted and he wasn't going to keep her up. He finished his dinner and put everything away as quietly as he could before heading over to check on Miley.

He gently shook her shoulder, eliciting a quiet protest as she tried to turn away from him and nearly falling out of the chair. With a chuckle, he picked her up and carried her up to her room. "The only good thing is, she might actually be free of her nightmares tonight," He thought. "But I wish I knew what set her off."

After tucking Miley in, he looked outside and saw what looked to be another storm brewing. After making sure that the window was firmly shut, Sonic headed downstairs and picked up the phone.

After punching in the numbers, he held the headset to his ear and waited. After two rings, a familiar voice asked, "What's wrong?"

"Shadow, did you find that ritual?" Sonic asked.

"Yes," Shadow told him carefully, "And it's more complicated that I remembered. And more dangerous."

"I know but I think we're out of time." Sonic told him firmly. He told Shadow what had happened and finished with, "I won't have time to do this again. You'll need me there for the Chaos Energy at the very least. Eggman won't let up his attacks for much longer. We need to do this tomorrow."

"Sonic…" Shadow growled but it was followed by a sigh. "I need to call Knuckles. He's the one who sent me the ritual and I'll want him on stand-by. You won't be able to help directly with how the ritual works. Come by my office in the morning, and make sure you warn Miley what's going to happen. This isn't going to be pretty."


	5. Chapter 5

**Wow. Took me way to long to update. Sorry everyone but exams were hell this year. This chapter is darker than anything so far but I toned it down because I was making myself sick. This chapter is the explanation of Miley's abuse, so consider yourselves warned.**

**Disclaimer: Surprise! I just bought Sonic the Hedgehog! Oh wait... Scratch that. Sega owns Sonic. Damn.**

(Miley's POV)

Miley swallowed nervously as she entered Shadow's office. Sonic was right behind her, walking calmly and looking around the dark room. "Faker? You wanted us here early. Where are you?"

Miley swallowed as she looked around the room. She had hoped Sonic had been joking about meeting Shadow, but apparently he was as serious about meeting with Shadow as he was about helping her with her nightmares. She wasn't sure Shadow would be much help though.

It was probably because she didn't know much about him, other than the rumors that flew around the kingdom. Shadow had joined in the war a few years before Sonic had but not on the side of the Kingdom of Acorn. He had started working for Eggman, doing a lot of damage against the Kingdom before G.U.N., one of the Kingdom's allies managed to capture him and show him what the Empire was doing. For reasons that she didn't know, Shadow had believed in Eggman and his side of the war. Whatever G.U.N. had done, it had turned him around and now he was even the acting ambassador between Acorn and G.U.N.

She knew that Sonic had helped with whatever happened. She knew the two had fought for a bit more than a year when Sonic joined the war, and that was one of the few times Eggman had come close to killing Sonic. Shadow was something beyond even Sonic, at least as far as she knew. Sonic was powerful; Shadow was frightening. There were rumors that he'd done more than just nearly kill Sonic, but she thought it best to reserve her judgement until she met the embodiment of all evil.

Sonic looked around, scowling lightly and not noticing Miley's fretting. "Shadow? Where are you?" He looked around the room, muttering something about the dark state of the room. "Stop hiding. You said we needed to be here early for the ritual."

The ritual, as vague as it was, was something Sonic had been insistent on. "Even if it doesn't get rid of your nightmares, it will at least help us lessen them. These dreams are killing you. Shadow says he has a way to help but it won't be easy and I won't lie; you could be hurt. We both could be. I think you should do it, because I don't have any other way to help you and you're hurt right now. It's your choice though. You have to decide if you want this."

She wasn't sure now that she did. In order for this to work, Sonic would be in her head. If that wasn't bad enough, he would see everything, and so would she. Memories that she had suppressed for years would surface, things that were done to her would be brought back to the surface. But she didn't have an alternative, and she wanted the nightmares to stop. She was going to hurt someone; Sonic had already been hurt and he had been prepared for it. She needed to be cured.

"_Cured? This isn't a disease. It's the result of a life choice."_ The voice spoke for the first time today. _"You just want Sonic to see the real you. He's in your thoughts anyway, why not in your head directly? You can do anything in your head."_

Miley shushed the voice and looked around. She didn't see Shadow but the room was so dark she could barely see Sonic standing next to her. A flash of movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention, causing her to turn her head. She peered over into the corner of the room farthest from her, trying to determine the source of the movement. She scrutinized the corner until it greeted her back with a pair of glowing red eyes.

With a squeak she regretted, she stumbled back away from the eyes into Sonic. He caught her before she fell over and glowered at the eyes. "Very impressive Faker. You look like a pair of taillights. Can you turn the lights on now?"

With that, the lights in the office all flicked on suddenly, the bright light hurting Miley's eyes. When the spots cleared, her eyes widened as she stared into the corner, looking for signs of Shadow and only seeing a mirror.

A dark chuckle came from behind her. "Taillights? I guess that's strangely appropriate, given the circumstances."

Miley stiffened, the hairs on the back of her neck going straight up. Sonic sighed and turned around, applauding sarcastically. "Very scary and well thought out. Now are you done frightening her?"

"Done? Sonic I haven't even started. She was scared of me when she walked towards the door, never mind coming in." Shadow stepped forward into Miley's view. "Now we can be properly introduced at least."

Miley stared as the figured came forward, slowly so not to startle her any more than he had already done. The first thought that she had was shocking. "Sonic?" She wondered but quickly changed her mind.

Shadow was black, and at first glance almost identical to Sonic. He had the same face shape, the same quill pattern on the back of his head, and was the same height. But a closer look showed differences. Sonic was muscled, with more muscle visible on his legs but the muscle clearly lining his whole body. Shadow was solid. His body was seamless muscle, looking like a single solid strand composing of his whole body. He was wider than Sonic as well, and his eyes were terrifying. Sonic had an easy-going, wild gleam always flickering in his eyes but Shadow's red eyes held nothing. They were a void that promised only death, swift and painful. Shadow radiated killer, from every pore in his body.

Miley swallowed once. "You're not what I expected," She told him honestly. Shadow chuckled darkly.

"A very diplomatic answer, and surprisingly honest." Shadow looked her up and down for a moment, before crossing the room to sit at his desk. He swivelled the chair around, crossed one leg over the other at knee and leaned forward, touching his fingertips together. "Now, down to business."

Miley swallowed audibly and Shadow chuckled. "All right, all right. Apparently I'm the new boogeyman, so let's get a few things out of the way." He held up one hand and ticked off his fingers, "True: I've fought Sonic to a standstill; nearly killed him and every other Freedom Fighter; I nearly destroyed all life on the planet and I am distantly, partially related to Dr. Eggman. False: I do not eat souls, baby's, small children or any other form of flesh, and I do not randomly commit murders in the middle of the night." He snorted after the last two. "Who would want to eat meat? It's disgusting. Blood's another matter entirely. And I don't like tripping over things at night."

Sonic sighed and shook his head. "Great reassuring speech Faker. Now back on topic; how does this ritual work?"

Shadow sighed. "Well, it's complicated. First off, it isn't exactly designed for getting rid of nightmares." He shrugged. "It works in theory but it's never been tested. Technically, it's never officially been done before. But I digress. Secondly, this will involve Sonic being put in your head Miley. He'll see everything that's happening to you. Sonic, no matter what happens, you must not interfere with what you see."

"Why not?" Sonic asked. Shadow glared at him. "Ok, so what happens if I accidently interfere?"

"Don't." Shadow told him flatly. Sonic looked at him slightly angrily and Shadow glared right back. "This is not a game Hedgehog. You. Must. Not! Interfere!" He enunciated sharply, each word seeming to shake the room.

Miley swallowed and stared at the ground. She felt Shadows eyes in her and he sighed. "Sorry. He's a little too chaotic for me. It brings out my bad side. To be clear, Sonic interfering within you head won't hurt you."

Miley nodded slowly. "But what happens to him?" She asked, glancing at Sonic.

"Bad things." Shadow told her simply. "Now, the only other thing to do has line you two up. Sonic, you stand over there, Miley you come by me."

Sonic raised an eyebrow at the darkened corner that he'd be directed to while Miley slunk towards Shadow hesitantly. Sonic sighed and walked over, standing by the corner with his arms crossed. "Ok, now what?" He asked.

"Close your eyes," Shadow ordered. Sonic raised an eyebrow. "What? Am I speaking Greek?"

"Might be more understandable. Why do I need to close my eyes? Is it supposed to help me relax or something? You're going to put me to sleep?" Sonic asked cheekily.

Shadow smirked. "Something like that." He told Sonic, staring into the corner.

Miley followed Shadow's gaze, confused until she saw what he was seeing. Her eyes widened and she tried to talk but nothing came out but a strangled croak. Sonic looked at her in surprise. "Miley? What's wro-"

Before he could finish his sentence, something large barrelled out of the corner and brought two spike fists crashed down on the back of his neck. Sonic didn't even have a chance to emit a sound, he just fell forward mutely, curling as he fell. The figure snapped a red arm out to catch Sonic's limp form. Miley's felt her eyes widen in shock and she heard the figure start to speak but her eyes rolled into her head and she blacked out.

(General POV)

The red Echidna almost cursed as he caught Sonic and looked towards the small Kitsune Mobian. "Hi, I'm Knuc-oh," He started before watching the girl faint. Shadow caught her before she fell far and set her gently on the ground. "I take it you planned for that?"

"No of course not," Shadow replied sarcastically. "Things just fall into place around me serendipitously."

"Huh. I always wondered," The Echidna replied. "What do you want me to do with Sonic."

"Kill him while he sleeps," Shadow told him flatly. "Come on Knuckles, you're the one who showed me the ritual."

"Doesn't mean I read it. I hate the old rituals like that. They need so much preparation and contact with the person that I don't find them useful." Knuckles carried Sonic over and set him beside Miley. He knelt beside them both, checking to make sure they were both still breathing before stating. "Well, at least this wasn't that hard. What next?"

Shadow laughed darkly. "Next? We wait, and wait while Miley takes Sonic through her own personal hell. And we pray like hell that he comes back out."

Knuckle's head snapped up in a panic. "You told me this would be safe." He growled at Shadow.

"For Miley it is. And if Sonic doesn't interfere, it will be for him." Shadow shook his head. "Should he ignore that..."

Knuckles swallowed loudly. "What do you need?" He asked numbly.

Shadow crossed his legs near Sonic and Miley's heads, taking off the rings on his wrists. Knuckle's eyes widened; those were Shadow's inhibitor rings. Shadow never took them off because tapping into that much raw chaos put his life at risk for every moment he was exposed. "Help me keep the ritual going," Shadow told him tightly as he started to glow a dull, angry red. Knuckle's sat opposite to him, a gentle green light pulsing from the red Echidna. "And pray."

(Sonic's POV)

He groaned as he sat up, rubbing his head . "Damn, what hit me?" He wondered, rubbing the back of his head. Looking around, his next thought was, "When did I wind up in a kitchen?"

It was a nice kitchen, though it felt wrong to be in it for a reason that Sonic couldn't quite determine. As he looked around, he realised that the longer that he stood there, the clearer the images became. Sounds suddenly came about too, and a quiet moan snaked through the halls.

Sonic swallowed. With a sudden feeling of dread, he followed the sound out of the kitchen towards the moaning. It came from the living room, growing louder as he approached and the feeling grew. He looked to the centre of the living room and stared. There in the middle of the room was a small, two tailed kitsune.

"Miley?" He called. The Fox girl gave no sign of responding. He started forward only to see what was going on. Miley, only looking five or six, was curled in a ball in the middle of the floor, with an older Fox Mobian kneeling over her. "Miley?" The voice asked softly. "What's wrong sweetheart? Are you hurt?" Her hand reached out and tried to touch her shoulder.

Miley gave a surprised sob and curled up tighter. The Fox Mobian's voice tightened. "Don't start this with me." Her hand suddenly blurred as she struck the kitsune. Miley whimpered and tried to roll away but her mother kept her pinned in place. "Not from you too. You won't be like the others, running away from me, hiding from me. You are my daughter."

Miley just whimpered again. Her mother snarled as she stood up and kicked her. "Fine!" She snapped. "I'm done with you for now. Just lay there and rot!" With that, she stormed away, pausing to see if she'd moved before scowling and spitting on her daughter. Miley for her part didn't even flinch and just stayed curled up on the floor, trembling.

Sonic stared, shocked and was unable to move but the scene wasn't done yet. Another Mobian came in the room, this one broader and taller than Miley's mother. He looked at Miley on the floor and sighed. "Why does she always make a mess?" He asked, his deeper voice revealing his sex. He bent down and grabbed Miley by the scruff of her neck. "Guess I'll have to go and clean you up."

Miley came to life with that statement, staring at her father with a full amount of fear in her eyes. "No, " She whispered. "Please daddy, no!"

"What was that?" He asked her. "Did the maggot speak?" His eyes met her and Miley paled. "I didn't think so. Now let's go get cleaned up."

Sonic didn't move but he saw the room shift and he was suddenly in the bathroom, where Miley was with her father, as he was filling the tub and stripping her down. "Come on now," He told the shivering Miley. "Are you cold? The water will be nice and warm." He started taking his clothes off as well. Miley collapsed on the floor, her body fully shaking but she didn't move from the spot. "Come on sweetheart," Her father's voice went from rough to a croon. "Don't you want to take a bath with daddy?"

Sonic felt a sudden wave of comprehension, and he went from shocked to angry in a heartbeat. He raced forward, taking a breath to shout a warning when a voice warned, "I wouldn't do that."

Sonic screeched to a halt, literally. He whipped around for the source of the voice, only to find a vague silhouette standing next to him. "Even if you tried, you can't do anything here. This is simply a memory, played for your benefit. You can do nothing about it."

Sonic stared at the silhouette. "Who are you?"

The figure chuckled. "Who am I?" It repeated. "That's a very good question. One there isn't a clear answer to. For now, we'll say a guide. I am here to make you understand."

"Understand what?" Sonic snapped. The figure simply gestured and Sonic looked back over to the memory and looked away. "Don't turn away. You cannot understand what you do not know."

Sonic didn't look back at the figure, but didn't look at the scene either. "Why can't I do something?" He asked angrily, his hands clenched into fists. "Why can't I help her?"

"How?" The figure responded in a monotone calm. "Can you change the past? Can you undo what has been done? You cannot change what has been, so all you can do is watch and understand. Patience. This is only the beginning."

"The beginning?" Sonic asked tightly, a sick feeling building.

"That she remembers, but the scars say it started earlier," The figure shrugged. "The mind does what it can. She will show you the worst horrors that she can remember. She will show you what she feels you need to know."

Sonic grit his teeth but didn't reply. He simply turned and forced down bile and hate as he watched.

Time shifted, again and again. Miley grew older, and as time passed, the abuse got worse. Only a short time after the first scene, a slightly older Miley was forced down by her mother, being struck over and over until she was bleeding from the hits, just for saying she was hungry. Her mother then hauled her to the bathroom and forced her to drink out of the toilet and eat her own feces. As a bloody Miley tried to clean herself off and rinse out her mouth, her father found her in the bathroom and dragged her off to her room, where he chained her up and took his time with her. He forced her to give him oral sex and when she was done, he stripped her down and raped her again and again. Sonic forced himself not to retch many times, wanting to turn away, he heeded the figures words and forced himself to watch.

He stood there, for how long he didn't know, but he watched as Miley suffered through years of abuse in what felt like an instant. It seemed to fast forward from the menial parts, and show only what Sonic hoped was the worst of her life. The figure beside him stayed silent for the most part, except to fill in some details about Miley's life. Then the scene changed, to Miley huddling in her bedroom in fear but listening to her parents talking in the hallway. Her mother, to Sonic's surprise, was sobbing.

Her father was standing behind her, his face disgusted but his voice calming. "It's all right honey," He crooned. "She's fine for now."

"Fine?" She sniffled. "I just beat my daughter again. I ripped out her fur and the skin was black underneath. I held her throat in my hands and felt her going limp. We can't let this continue."

Her father snorted lightly. "What does it matter? She's ten now. It didn't make a difference earlier."

"She's ten?" Miley's mother's shot up. "As of when?"

Her father grimaced, realising his mistake. "A while. It doesn't matter how old she is, does it?"

Her mother's eyes narrowed. "You've been at it again, haven't you?" She asked coldly. "And you let me do it too."

Her father shrugged. "If I have?"

Her mother glared. "We have to stop this," She said firmly.

"And how do you plan to do that?" He asked smugly. "You won't remember this in a week and you've scared the life out of her. And I'm allowed to spend time with my daughter, aren't I?"

Her mother didn't comment for a minute. She closed her eyes and rested a hand on Miley's door. "We alternate when we have her," She told her husband. "Each of us has care of her on every other week. During that week, we won't interfere with what the other does."

Her father laughed lowly. "None at all? What if you slip again and try and kill her again?"

"That would be kinder than what you're doing to her," Her mother snapped. "Do you agree? I won't stop you like I did tonight on your week, and you don't touch her on mine."

Her father fingered his chin thoughtfully. "I won't touch her without expressed permission from you to do so," He promised with a dark chuckle. "This should make things interesting."

Her mother just turned and glared. "Leave her be for the night. I'm going to tuck her in."

Her father just laughed and turned away. Sonic watched, shocked as Miley's mother walked slowly into the bedroom. "Miley?" She called quietly. "Are you there sweetheart?"

Miley whimpered as she curled up on the ground beside her bed. Her mother looked at her and swallowed before coming over and kneeling beside her. Miley flinched as her mother's arms moved but all she did was wrap her up in a hug. "I'm so sorry," She whispered to her daughter. "I know what I've done, I know what I'll do again. I'm so sorry Miley. I'm too sick to be looking after you."

Miley was limp in her arms, staring at her mother shocked. Her mother continued, "I wish it was different. but I am sorry sweetheart. I love you." She picked up Miley's small frame and set her in bed, pulling the covers around her daughter and kissing her on the forhead. "Even if I forget, even if I'm like I was, try to remember I love you. And I wish I could stop." With that, she left the bedroom but Miley's head was wet from the kiss.

Sonic just stared. He was shocked at this sudden display and tried to figure out what had happened. The figure beside him watched him for a minute, explaining, "Miley's mother was mentally ill. She was never diagnosed but from how she acted, she randomly thought her daughter was older and trying to harm her. She seemed to lose time, sometimes having years pass her by without her noticing. She almost had another personality when she hurt her, and would sometimes "wake up" and appologise, trying to be a loving mother almost at random. It did more harm than good because Miley didn't understand at the time and in some ways, it was worse that when her mother was "awake" she didn't do anything to stop the abuse. But she was sick, and that was partly to blame for her actions."

Sonic was still shocked and tried to understand. "And her father?" He asked.

The figure's voice hardened for the first time. "A monster. He was a sadistic paedophile who took pleasure in torturing his daughter with sex. He partly married Miley's mother just because when she was crazy, she was like him, and her lucid moments were few and far between, so he could manage her and prevent her from stopping him from his fun."

Sonic felt sick again. "Why do I need to see this?" He asked.

The figure shrugged. "Maybe you don't. But let me ask you something; would you understand anything of Miley's problems if you didn't know what caused them?"

He swallowed audibly. "Is this the worst of it then?"

The figure laughed darkly. "The worst? No, these are the memories that she didn't surpress. These are the better times in her life Sonic. These are the "good times"."

Sonic really wished he could be sick now. Instead, he tasted the bile with a grimace and swallowed. "So now what happens?" He asked, looking at the fading scene.

"Now?" The figure repeated. "Now you make a choice."

Sonic wanted to question but he stopped when the surroundings changed. There was Miley, only a little younger than the one Sonic knew, tied to a chair as her mother stood over her with a long kitchen knife. "So now what, little whore?" She said. "What are you going to do now?"

Miley was gagged and even if she wasn't, Sonic would be surprised if she could breath enough to talk with how tight the ropes were. She just stared in terror at her mother, who lightly slapped the side of the knife against her palm. "How is it that so many people try to take your father away from me," She said, almost to herself. "Why is it that you have to take him from me? You get him during the day, you get him exclusively every other week. Why do you steal him the nights I keep him for myself?"

Miley shook her head but her mother pointed the knife in her face. "Don't you lie to me girl!" Her mother snapped. "Tell me why you keep taking him from me!"

Miley kept shaking her head, looking scared as she did so and her mother's arm suddenly snapped away. The blade flashed and blood dripped from Miley's arm. She let out a muffled scream and tried to pull away but her mother held her close. "What does he see in you?" She hissed. "A little, ugly tramp like you. What does he get from you? Why does he want you?"

Miley shook her head in the chair, her voice muffled by the rag. Her mother ripped it out of her mouth and snarled, "Well?"

Miley just whimpered. "I'm sorry," She sobbed. "Mommy, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do it. I didn't want it."

"What, he isn't good enough for you?" Her mother screamed. "You deceitful little bitch." She grabbed Miley by the ears and held her head up. "All this time, you didn't want him and you still took him from me? How dare you!"

Sonic stared in horror as Miley's other raised the knife, and looked to the figure. It was standing there silently. "What's happening?" Sonic asked frantically.

The figure shrugged. "This isn't a memory. I am unsure what it is. It is a mental construct," Noticing Sonic's questioning look, it added, "A dream Sonic. This is her own mind warping her memories into a nightmare."

Sonic stared. "Why?" He asked quietly.

The figure's laugh was hollow. "Why? Because that is what the mind does. It tries to make sense of everything, and how do you rationalize this?"

"You said I had to make a choice," Sonic reminded the figure.

"So I did," The figure agreed. "This is a recent dream as I understand. Only a few nights before you arriving here." Sonic looked at the figure confused, and looked back and flinched as Miley was slashed repeatedly by her mother.

"Why isn't it stopping? Why doesn't she wake up?' He asked.

The figure didn't respond physically but Sonic swore he heard a frown in its voice. "That is odd. Normally she would be awake by now. Something is keeping her here, or something from outside is missing."

Cold dread suddenly gripped Sonic. "The ritual," He gasped. "Me. I'm here in her head, and the ritual is letting me see her dreams."

The figure looked at him and shook its head. "Well, that complicates things," It told him. "I don't know what will happen if the dream finishes."

Sonic started and stared at it. "What do you mean?"

The figure shrugged. "She's never had the dream end. She always woke up before her mother finished stabbing her. I don't know what will happen if it finishes."

"How does it-" Sonic started to ask, only he was cut off by Miley screaming. He spun around as Miley's mother brought up the knife. "No more," She snarled. "You won't touch him again." And she brought down the knife.

Sonic didn't think. The figure started to yell something behind him but he ignored it, curling up into his Spin Dash and racing forward into the monster holding the knife. He slammed into her, knocking her flying into the wall. The knife clattered to the floor, and Sonic stood, breathing heavily for a reason he didn't know and the figure was screaming at him.

"What are you doing?" It screeched. "You weren't supposed to interfere. You can't interfere remember?"

"With her memories, no," Sonic agreed tiredly. He bent down at the shaking Miley and started to untie her. "This isn't a memory. I'm what's always woken her up from the dreams."

The figure paused. "Oh dear," It said, it's voice suddenly dropped to a curious level. "I didn't think of that. But you realize what this means, don't you?"

Sonic shrugged and yanked at the knots some more. "Not a clue." He told the figure. "Hey, just wondering can you touch things around here too?" The figure nodded. "Good. Mind grabbing that knife for me? These knots are messed up; I can't untie them."

The figure threw its hands up but did grab the knife. Miley's mother didn't respond as the figure picked up the knife, instead staring at Sonic. "Who-are-you?" She panted out, holding her chest as she stood up.

"Sonic the Hedgehog," Sonic grunted as he cut the ropes with the kitchen knife. "Geez, you need to sharpen these things. I'm pretty sure my nails cut better."

"Sonic?" The mother gave a wheezing laugh. "Ah, yes. You're the Freak on the news that Miley loves. You coming to take her away? Make her your whore like she was her father's?"

Sonic took the ropes off Miley and walked slowly over to her mother. "Really?" He asked quietly. He could feel the anger building up in him. "Is that really what you think of me? You don't even know me."

Miley's mother laughed a long, raspy laugh. "You Freaks are all the same," She told him. "You whored yourself to the Princess so she'd let you stick around, my daughter whored herself off to her father. It's the same cycle for all of you. You latch on to anyone out there, clinging to your petty existence. You're all better off dead, especially that girl behind you."

Miley whimpered and Sonic grabbed her mother by the throat. "You listen to me," He told her, his voice dropping to a deadly quiet. "You're a monster, a husk of a Mobian who tortured her own daughter and invented reasons to make it more fun. We might be better off dead but you know something?" He looked her in the eyes. "I killed you. You're nothing anymore. You're nothing but a nightmare in a little girl's head because she dared to think her mother might love her. And so help me, I'll kill you again if you lay another hand on her."

Her mother clawed at his hand for a moment, staring at him. Sonic didn't loosen his grip; she could still breathe but it was difficult for her. "You're the monster under the bed," He told her in a calmer voice. "Let's shine a little light on the subject shall we?"

Still gripping the woman by the throat, Sonic carried her over to Miley. Miley looked up at him in shock. "Sonic?" She asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Long story that I hope you'll remember soon," He told her. "But first, I think you have someone here to talk to." He tilted his head to indicate her mother.

Miley looked over, her shock rising as if she wasn't completely able to comprehend the scene. "My mother? But she's dead," Miley muttered. Then her eyes widened. "Ritual... Right. We're in my dream right now, aren't we?" Sonic nodded. Miley slowly stood up, rubbing her arms as the wounds faded away. "Sonic? Think you could put her down?"

He raised an eyebrow but obliged. Miley walked over to her mother, who was coughing on the floor with a hand on her throat. "Hey mom," She said quietly.

Her mother coughed and snarled, "What do you want you little bitch?"

"Such language," Miley said with a weak chuckle. "You know, you'd have done some horrible things to me if I used that language. Not that you didn't anyway."

"So what? You want an apology? Me to repent and beg forgiveness?" Her mother laughed harshly.

"No," Miley replied, calmly. "I just wondered what it would be like to look into the eyes of a dead woman."

Sonic, while this exchange was going on, noticed the figure had stepped away, out of Miley's sight and waved Sonic towards Miley. Sonic took the cue, slowly making his way around to where Miley was standing. He could see her shaking while she spoke but he let her be for now.

Her mother laughed. "I'm no more dead than you are," She sneered. "You still fear me, and you'll never be rid of me."

Miley grinned. "You're right," She told her mother. "I was afraid of you." She leaned forward to her mother. "You made me stronger. You showed me that no one in this world will watch your back. But you are dead and gone mother. You are nothing."

Her mother's laugh faltered. "What?" She asked, startled.

"You're nothing," Miley snarled. "You're a mass of rotting flesh, too weak to fight your own battles, too weak to fight anyone but a child who needed you. You're nothing to me, and I am not afraid of you!"

The world gave a sudden lurch as Miley's mother froze at the outburst. Sonic stumbled as the room tilted and spun, colors and objects merging. When the room righted itself, her mother was gone.

(Miley's POV)

She stared at the spot her mother had been, shaking. She'd done it. Her mother was gone.

She could barely stand, and her thoughts were everywhere. Her mind felt scattered, bits and pieces flying everywhere as she tried to focus. Her body felt odd, and she watched cuts sealing over on different parts of her body, but felt other changes as well. Her skin seemed to warp, damage appearing and disappearing all along her torso. It wasn't the most pleasant experience and she couldn't fight the shudders that followed.

A gentle hand rested on her shoulder during the shudders. "Miley? You ok?" Sonic asked her quietly.

Miley swallowed and nodded. She wasn't ok, not by a long shot but he didn't need to know that. And why was he here? Miley looked around the distorted room, wondering exactly where here was. Her memory was jumping around and her brain hadn't quite wrapped around the idea that Sonic the Hedgehog was here, with her, and was worried about her.

He had said something about remembering. Her head spun for a moment and she forced herself to stay upright. "The ritual," She murmured.

Sonic was now anxious. "Miley, what's wrong? You keep swaying and shaking."

Miley only shook her head, grimacing at the reaction it caused. "She's disorientated," A different voice announced. "You did just thrust yourself into her dream."

Miley turned to face the voice but couldn't make out who was speaking. Her eyes didn't want to focus and it was easier to look away but she forced herself to look. "Who are you?"

The figured sighed. "Such a common question today," The figure muttered. "And there is no easy answer. For now, just assume I am here, and have information that might help you."

"Help?" Miley asked.

"Wait, you said you were a guide," Sonic interjected.

"And I was. The journey through her memories is complete, so my duty as a guide is finished," The figure told him calmly. "Now we move on."

"Wait, hold on. Journey through my memories?" Miley asked sharply. "What's going on?"

Sonic gently turned her around, looking her in the eyes. "Miley?" He asked carefully. She looked at him but he was blurry too. Almost like he wasn't real. "Miley I need you to listen, ok? I'm here, in your head, trying to help fix your nightmares. I needed to see your past in order to do that."

"Nightmares?" She muttered. Why was he talking nonsense? Sonic shook her once, and everything snapped back into place. Ritual, memories, nightmares... "We live together?" She asked suddenly.

Sonic nodded. "Good, you're remembering. I was getting worried. Yes we live together."

"Oh. Have we had sex yet?" She asked, almost giddily. "If not, we should soon. It wasn't fun with dad, but I mean, he was my dad. And it wasn't really my choice and he was kinda out of shape. You look like you'd be much better than he was."

Sonic stared at her for a minute and Miley's eyes widened as her hands flew to her mouth. "What? What did I just say?" She almost screamed. The room shook as she did so, causing her and Sonic to stumble.

Sonic looked a little nervous as he held her upright. "Miley, it's ok," He told her as calmly as he could manage. "I think me being in your head is messing everything up."

"Oh," She replied, trying to suppress the giddy portion of her mind. "Sonic? I think I can stand on my own, and part of me is finding it very distracting that you're touching me."

"What? Oh," Sonic said, a little embarrassed as he removed his hands from her. "Sorry."

"That's fine. Didn't dislike it. It's just kind of distracting when a hot guy can't keep his hands off you," She told him with a wink. Miley cursed and shook her head. "Can we pretend I didn't say that?"

Sonic was looking very embarrassed and turned to the figure. "What's going on?" He asked.

The figure shrugged. "She's being very honest, and hormones are kicking in," The figure told him. "From the looks of things, Miley is about a year younger than her actual age, and is currently finding the thirteen year old she could have been trying to surface while her real mind suppresses it."

Sonic stared for a minute before shaking his head. "I did not understand a word of that," He told the figure.

"She's a horny teenager with her long time crush standing a few feet away from her after he's seen her naked," The figure told him in monotone. Miley felt her cheeks go scarlet and hid her face in her hands to prevent herself from reacting.

To his credit, Sonic actually blushed after that. "Oh," Was all that he managed to say. Sonic looked around for a moment, then asked, "Hey, if she dealt with her mother, shouldn't her nightmares be over? As in we leave?"

The figure shrugged again. "I did not read the ritual but that was my understanding of it," The figure replied. "However, the nightmare is not over."

Sonic looked around, confused. "But there's no one else here," He said, as though it should be obvious.

"Perhaps not but you saw her past. What always followed her mother's beatings, especially when she was younger?" The figure's question was rhetoric but Miley paled as she looked at Sonic.

"Not him. Please not him," She told Sonic desperately. "He's dead too, right? You killed my dad too, didn't you?"

Sonic sighed. "I think that's as much proof as any that you need to face him," He told her firmly. Miley felt herself wilt back. "Miley, I know he's a monster but you have to face him. You need to put this behind you because it is consuming your whole life. The bastard's dead, so why should you suffer anymore?"

"You don't understand," She whispered. "He'll do it again. He won't kill me because that ruins his fun. But he'll hurt me, and you."

"I killed him once," Sonic told her firmly. "I can do it again. Besides, even if he does try to hurt you, what can he do? He isn't real. He's an image in your head."

Miley wasn't convinced in the least. Yes her mother was gone, but her mother had never been that frightening. Well, relatively speaking. Her mother only hated her and beat her, with a few other punishments occasionally thrown in. Her father on the other hand found her to be the everyday sex toy and had done so for over a decade, so she was pretty sure he was the more frightening of the two, dead or not.

She looked over and noticed the look on Sonic's face and wondered if she was speaking out loud. "Yes, you are," Sonic told her, a little surprised.

The figure spoke up then. "Miley, this is your head. Your thoughts are vocalized here. You will find it difficult to not say a thought out loud, so I suggest not trying."

Miley nodded and lightly bit on her tongue to prevent herself from speaking. This time she felt her throat make an effort to allow her to speak but she was able to keep quiet.

Sonic glanced over at the figure. "Where would her father be?" He asked quietly.

The figure chuckled sadly. "Where do you think?" It asked.

Sonic lightly put his hand on her shoulder as Miley realised what the figure meant. "Please," She whispered. "Not there. Not again."

"He won't hurt you Miley," Sonic promised. "I won't let him."

"You can't stop him," She told her, her voice tight. She was shaking now; she couldn't face her father. "He's stronger than you. He won't lose."

Sonic snorted. "We'll see." Sonic told her firmly. "I'm stronger than you think."

The figure shook its head. "Not here you're not. This is Miley's head Sonic. If she says that her father is stronger, he is stronger."

That caught Miley off guard. "What are you saying?" She asked, startled.

"Your head, your rules," The figure said simply. Miley shook her own, trying to wrap her mind around the concept and failing. She was still having trouble thinking clearly.

Sonic shrugged. "I always fight things that are stronger than me. We'll be fine." He started down the hallway towards her room, surprising Miley by how well he knew her house.

Miley knew they wouldn't be all right but she couldn't stop him. The figure was following Sonic as well, so with all the courage she had left she followed behind them. She didn't want to know what they would be facing but she couldn't let Sonic go off alone. Especially not in her head.

Sonic marched forward and opened the door to Miley's room, with the figure following close behind and Miley hesitantly keeping behind them. Sonic looked around. "No sign of him. Maybe he's not here."

"Really?" Miley asked, somewhat excitedly. "You think so?"

Sonic glanced at the figure, who shrugged. "I don't know. If he was truly not here, wouldn't you two be out of the dream? I think he is simply somewhere else. Miley, do you know where he would be?"

Miley shook her head, a feeling of dread coming over her. "He always comes in here," She told them quietly.

She strained her ears, and heard footsteps in the hallway. She spun around, backing away towards Sonic "He's coming," She whimpered. She didn't want to whimper but she couldn't help it.

The door creaked open, and a husky voice sang out, "Miley? I'm coming in,"

Miley whimpered as her father opened the door, his eyes widening in surprise. "Well, well, well. We have company I see. And he's famous too." He sneered.

Sonic sighed. "I'd say it's a pleasure to meet you but I'm a terrible liar." He told her father.

"Understandable. Now what are you doing in my daughter's room?" Her father asked snidely.

Sonic smirked. "What do you think I'm doing?"

"If you're doing what I think you're doing, catch an STD from that little slut over there," He told Sonic.

Sonic glanced at Miley with a roll of his eyes. "They both talk alike, don't they?"

Miley stared at him for a brief moment, realising he was joking with her. "Nah," She told him with a shaky laugh. "Mom was a bit more creative than dad. He just got the colorful parts of his vocabulary."

Miley expected her father to get mad but he just chuckled darkly. "Seems you never could be taught," He told her with a look of hurt on his face. "Too bad. I hoped we wouldn't have to repeat the lesson. Move aside Hedgehog."

Sonic crossed his arms. "And if I won't?" He asked.

"Oh you will," Her father promised. "It's just whether you move aside in pieces, or mostly intact."

Sonic gave a feral grin. Miley saw it and winced. "You can't win," She warned him.

"For you I can," He told her. "This is your head. You decide who wins." With that, Sonic struck. Before Miley could blink, he had rushed her father with a fist in his face, knocking the older Mobian across the room.

Her father hit the wall with a grin. "Now this should be fun," He yelled with glee. "You could be as fun as she was."

Sonic growled and the fight escalated from there.

Miley scrambled backwards as Sonic and her father fought. The two Mobians slammed into each other, Sonic relying on his speed and her father relying on his strength. She winced as he smashed Sonic around the room, remembering how strong he was.

"Sonic can't win this," She whispered, horrified. She knew it, deep down. Sonic was fighting for her and he wasn't badly injured but as she watched the fight progress, Sonic was at an obvious disadvantage and was slowly tiring.

Miley watched the fight anxiously, and was so absorbed in the battle that she nearly screamed when the figure touched her. "You really should know everything going on in your own head," The figure scolded her.

"What are you talking about?" She asked, startled.

"Your head, your rules," The figure reminded her.

Miley groaned and clutched her head. "What does that even mean?"

"Exactly what it says," The figure replied. "And you need to understand soon, because Sonic isn't doing very well against your father."

Miley's head shot around and she dove out of the way as Sonic slammed into her bedroom wall. "Sonic?" She yelled, horrified.

Sonic groaned and stood up, rubbing his head. "Geez what's with this guy?" He scowled. "He wasn't this strong as a Robian."

"He wasn't?" Miley asked, shocked. "You fought him as a Robian?"

"Well, yeah," Sonic told her. "I try not to kill people Miley. I tried to save your parents but my Chaos energies were to low to reverse the change."

Miley's eyes widened. "You didn't mean to kill him?" She asked.

The figure just shook its head and asked, "Sonic, your Chaos powers. Can you use them?"

Sonic grimly shook his head. "No. I'm not actually of this world. Any power I draw on is from Miley herself." He grinned as Miley's father strolled over. "I'll have to do this the old fashioned way."

Miley's father scowled. "Would you give up already?" He growled. "I'm going to have chaffed knuckles by the time I'm done with you."

"My heart bleeds for you," Sonic drawled as he dashed forward, slamming the fox Mobian back and restarting the fight.

Miley stared. The figure tutted. "He should know by now to take things slower," It said. "Things might have progressed better if he hadn't started the fight."

Miley stared at the figure, who was starting to be a bit of a clearer image now. "What are you?" She asked quietly, almost unheard over the battle.

The figure chuckled. "Finally, the right question. And I guess this is a good time to answer it." THe figure turned and faced Miley, slowly fading into existance.

Miley stared as the odd blurr that had guided Sonic through her dreams slowly materialised into a young Mobian. She was a little taller than Miley, with nearly glowing eyes, radiant cheeks and nearly perfect fur. She was a bit wider in the shoulders, with a fuller figure that looked graceful on her. She made Miley cringe with envy at how beautiful she was until she noticed the figures tails.

Tails. Plural.

"You're me?" She asked, her voice hushed.

The figure laughed, and gently reprimanded, "Obviously not." She walked over and placed a hand on Miley's shoulder. "Or at least, not yet."

The figure's voice stirred something in Miley's mind. "You're the voice," She stated, her fear crawling back up. "You're the voice in my head."

"Yes," The figure told her. "A voice that drove you to change, to heal. Look at me Miley, for real and without the jealousy. I am not here to mock you. I am here to show you what you can become, if you let yourself."

Miley shook her head. "How?" She asked. "You're beautiful, strong. I'm the ugly punching bag that everyone feels sorry for."

"And will continue to, if you don't change." The figure warned. "Miley, you are holding yourself back. Not your mother or father, not Sonic, not your past, you. You have chained yourself to your history so that it will drag you down. You are so deep in denial that you're drowning in it."

"What can I do?" She asked. This figure was her after all. A future version maybe, who could tell her what to expect.

The figure chuckled. "I am simply potential Miley," She told her. "Not some benign message from the future. I am just the portion of yourself that tried to survive."

"Why were you so horrible to me?" Miley demanded. For a reason she didn't understand, her anger had flared up. "If you are me, why did you say all the things you did?"

"You needed them, needed the push," The figure told her. "Ordering yourself is good but stagnation is death. You needed to change. I simply hurried that along."

Miley glared at the figure, hating how similar they looked. Finally, she let out a deep angry breath. "Who are you then?" She asked. "You're not Miley. I'm Miley, the weak relic of the past that everyone needs to protect. What will I become? What can I become?"

The figure's smile appeared, wide and bright. "Me? I suppose you might call me Tails," She responded. "And I'm a transition. I suppose first, we need to shake Sonic from our past."

Miley turned, having forgotten the fight and watched Sonic fly across the room, slamming into the wall and landing limply with a groan. Her father was walking towards him, cracking his knuckles as he picked Sonic up by the throat. "I think I'll end this now," He growled at the semi-conscious hedgehog. "Rather than drag this pathetic fight out anymore."

"No!" Miley yelled, her cry echoing across the room. Her father froze and Sonic, even in his dazed state, glanced at her in surprise. "Enough!" She yelled at her father. "Put. Him. Down." She snarled.

Her father grinned snidely and went to resist but Miley's glare caught him and he struggled, but did set Sonic down. "This is new," He muttered, and Miley almost didn't catch it. "What's going on?"

Miley wondered that herself. She glanced back at Tails, who shrugged. "Your head," She reminded her. "Your rules. And you have to deal with your father."

"Our father," Miley reminded her.

"I disown any relation to him," Tails replied cooly. "Besides, I'm not real yet. For right now, I'm a figment inside your imagination."

Miley nodded in aknowledgement and glared at her father. "I really have to do this, don't I?" She asked.

"No," Tails replied. "You can let Sonic die in your head and wake up with the Kingdom doomed. Or you can get rid of your father in your head. Your choice."

Miley shook her head. "It's never easy," She muttered.

Tails laughed and replied, "What fun would it be if it was?"

"Who are you talking to brat?" Her father snapped at her. "If I can't kill your little boy-toy here, then you'll damn well pay attention to me."

"I'm talking to the voice in my head," Miley told her father with a grin. "Just like you. And he's not a boy-toy. You're a boy-toy; I'm pretty sure he'll be a man when I test him out."

Her father stared at her and Tails snorted. "A little less sexual humor might be wise, but cracking jokes is a good first step." She told Miley.

"You little bitch," Her father snarled. "Hurry up and face me."

"Temper, temper," Miley told him, walking forward slowly. "You and mom both needed to work on your vocabularies, didn't you? And this is my head," Miley told him. "So I will take my damn time."

Her father stared at her, before laughing a full belly laugh. "You're crazy," He howled, laughing as he spoke. "Just like your mother; completely off the deep end."

"Yep," Miley told him cheerfully. She glanced over at Sonic, who was moving slowly but at least he was alive. "I'm bona fide insane thanks to you. And the fun part? I'm in control, just like you."

"What now?" Her father's laugh was cut off as he stared at his daughter.

"You're just as sane as I am," Miley felt a grin rising and she didn't know where the words were coming from but they felt right. "You're just as crazy as mom was but you got the crazy under control. She fought it; you gave into it. It was fun, having no constraints, having no morals or guilt. You were crazy dad; broken." Miley grinned. "And now you're dead."

"Dead? Sweetheart, I standing right here." He told her. "And even if I was in your head, do you really think I'd be dead? Really be gone? Who told you? Was it him?" He pointed at Sonic.

Miley's head followed the finger as her father stepped towards him. Sonic was sitting upright, one arm across his chest as he tried to stand up. "This little Freak, is he the one filling your head with all these idea?" He asked, his voice almost pleasent. "I suppose I'll have to punish him for lying." And before SOnic or Miley could move, he slammed a brutal kick into Sonic's ribs.

Sonic let out a strangled sound as he was hit, clutching at his chest. Miley froze, shocked as she watched her father laugh. "What's the matter Miley? Your little hero to weak to deal with me?" He turned to Sonic, a sneer on his face. "How can you save a kingdom when you can't even protect one small girl?"

Miley's voice turned cold. "Who says I need protecting? Leave him alone and face me coward."

"Coward? Coward? I'm not the one hiding and not fighting. All you have to do is come closer." He told Miley. She stood there, confused adn Tails was silent behind her. ""I figured as much. I thought you cared about him Miley. Shame. I guess I'll finish this then." With that, he brought up his foot and slammed it down on Sonic's face.

Or he tried. He found that for whatever reason, he suddenly couldn't move.

"So that's what it means," Miley said quietly, walking towards her father. "My head, my rules. You can't move, can you?"

Her fatherr struggled unable to even turn his head to face her. "What's happening?" He snarled.

Miley walked forward, feeling for the first time a cool, collected confidence. "You're just a figment of my imagination," She told her father. "You can't move, you can't talk, you can't even breathe if I don't will it to be so. You and mom had me terrified for so long, yet all I had to do was fight back."

"So fight back," Her father growled. "Whatever you're doing to me, stop it and fight me for real."

"For real?" Miley asked, pretending to ponder. "Shouldn't I just get rid of you now? Sweep you beneath a rug, throw you down to the trash compressor?"

Her father spat at her. Miley stopped the spittle in mid-air. "No, I think you're right," She said, and with a flick of her hand her father was in the middle of the room. She freed him so he could move and stood, directly in front of Sonic and took a ready stance. "I think we do need to fight it out. Whenever you're ready."

Her father gave a roar and rushed her. Miley watched him do so, her training with Antoine coming to mind. "Ze enemy, zey will be stronger, faster, and sometimes armed," He told her as she raised her arms. "But we are better, no? We train, we prepare, and we learn. We look at ze ground, where ze feet never lie, and we time, so that we move as zey move."

Miley watched her father's motions, watched his feet as he ran, and watched his arm as he readied a punch. In her mind, the fight began to play out. "To ze skilled, ze oppenent is an open livre," He told her. "Let zem tell you what will happen, so vous may see the fight before it happens."

Miley ducked before her father was close, her arm reaching out and grabbing his wrist. Her elbow shot out, meeting his diaphram as he moved and adding his own momentum to the strike. "No matter how strong zey are, physics does not lie," The Coyote Mobian told her. "Even if zey are stronger. Let zeir strength add to yours. Let zem fight pour vous."

Miley grinned as she turned and flipped her father over her shoulder, her elbow the fulcrum as she tossed. He slammed into the wall, gasping as the air was driven from his lungs. She approached him cautiously, waiting for the desperate strike.

It came, in the form of a wide, desperate roundhouse kick, followed by wild haymaker punches. Miley dodged the kick, blocking the first haymaker and responding with a jab of her one. Her father grunted as she connected, gasping, "How-are-you-doing-this?" As he tried to connect. Miley kept hitting him, letting each blow drive him further away from Sonic.

"I'm not," She told him, grinning maliciously. "You are. You're nothing here father. This is my head. And you tried to take what was mine."

His eyes widened. "What are you rambling about?"

Miley's voice turned cold. "You destroyed my childhood," She told him, slamming the heel of her hand into her father's chest, "Stole my virginity," A punch to sholder, followed by a kick to the hip. "And tore my psyche to shreds. And now, when I finally have some happiness," She drove her fingers into his arms, once in the pectorals, and once in the forearm to hit the nerve points, "You try to take him from me."

Her father snarled and tried to hit back but he couldn't move. "What did you do?" He gasped.

Miley punched him in the face, knocking him over. He couldn't stop the fall; his arms wouldn't respond. "I hit the nerve bundles in your arms. You won't be moving them for a while," She told him, She didn't think her voice could go colder, but it felt like it did, as she looked her father in the eyes. "You are a sick monster, and you crossed all that was left of the line when you went after Sonic."

Her father laughed, a hollow and desperate sound. "Your little boy friend?" He spat. "That Freak doesn't deserve to live."

"That boy saved our kingdom, and our world, more times than you raped me," Miley spat back. "And he took me in, when you broke me and made me whole. You will not touch him again!"

Her father looked at her, glaring at her before raising his head in what appeared to be a look of defiance. "Fine," He told her. "Kill me then Miley. End it. I can't harm him anymore."

Miley looked at him for a moment, letting her confusion clearly show on her face. Then she laughed, loud and scornful. "Kill you?" She chortled. "Kill you? You're already dead! Why would I bother to do it again?"

Her father stared at her, and Miley spread her arms to the room around her. "This is nothing. This is a dream. You aren't real. I'm real, Sonic's real but that's it. You are nothing here. You understand? You can't hurt me anymore." She stared her father in the eyes, a cold finality washing over her. "You won't hurt my anymore. Now go."

Her father stared, startled and not comprehending. "Was I not clear? Go," She ordered her father. "Leave. Depart into memories best left forgotten, and rot. I'm not scared of you anymore."

Her father didn't move. Nothing moved for a moment. Then the room started to fade, drawing away until it was just her, Sonic, and Tails.

Sonic groaned, still dazed but he was looking at Miley with a new look of approval. "Thanks," He told her. "For the save, and what you said."

Miley blushed a bit, and nervously rubbed the back of her head. "Umm... Sonic? I'm not entirely sure what I said when you first found me, but can we try and forget it?"

Sonic looked at her, and gave a quick shrug. "Sure, if you want," He told her. "Your head after all."

Miley gave him a look and he gave her a weak chuckle. "So now what Tails?" Sonic asked.

Miley looked at him, surprised at his question and wondering how much of the conversation he had heard. Tails, who wasn't looking at him or Miley, turned to face Miley with a calm look. "Well, it seems Miley has another choice to make," She told them.

Tails crossed the empty space, until she was a few steps away from Miley. "You get to chose," She told her. "Between leaving your head as you are," And Tails, for lack of a better term, conjured a massive mirror behind herself, for Miley to look into. "Or as you see me."

Miley looked at Tails for a moment, before stepping forward to stand by her other self in the mirror. She looked herself older, her body matching her real self and not her younger self anymore. AAs she looked herslef over, she couldn't help but envy her other self, both in looks and in confidence. But as she stared in the mirror, she noticed Sonic looking too. She saw him look her ovver, and then look Tails over. His eyes changed, and he seemed to show a much deeper appreciation for Tails.

But as he looked, his eyes focussed on Miley, not Tails. She saw something in his eyes when he looked at her, and Miley wished she fully understood. But whatever the real message was, what see saw was simple.

Sonic wanted Miley more than he wanted Tails.

In truth, she didn't want to be Tails yet. As easy as it was, just to become Tails now, it wasn't right. She wasn't ready to be Tails, to become the prettier, more confident her without all the work it would take. With a regretful swallow and one last look in the mirror, Miley shook her head. "It's wouldn't be any fun if it was easy," She told Tails. "I'm not you yet, and there aren't any shortcuts. I've just got to take this one day at a time."

Tails gave a wide grin, dissolving the mirror with a wave of her hand. "That," She told Miley, "Is the first step."

Miley's eyes widened. She started to speak, but Tails raised a hand to cut her off. "We don't have much time left," She warned the girl. "That was the final step to ending the ritual. I can feel Sonic stirring, and you as well."

Miley glanced over at Sonic, still huddle over. "Why isn't he better?" She asked.

"He's fine. This isn't his body. He might have a headache, but he'll live." Tails told her. Sonic didn't seem to notice the conversation, and he was starting to fade away.

Miley saw the full extent of his injuries though, only taking them in now. "I nearly killed him," She whispered.

"No, he made a choice that nearly killed him," Tails told her. "Miley, listen to me and listen carefully." Miley turned to Tails, trying to focus but her head was spinning. "When you make it out, when you're in the real world again, remember what you saw. Remember me, but also remember Sonic. He risked his life to save you, and you returned the favor. He won't forget what you did for him, and you shouldn't either."

"I won't," She told Tails. Her vision slanted and Miley stumbled. "Tails? Thank you. And I'll see you soon."

Tails laughed warmly. "Sooner than you think," She said, and her hand made contact with Miley's shoulder as everything went black again.

(General POV)

"They're coming around," Knuckles warned Shadow. The black Hedgehog nodded tiredly, his eyes closed as he blindly reached for his Inhibitor Rings.

The two figures stirred, Sonic coming to first with a groan. "Ugh, my head," He said as he struggled to sit up. "What hit me?"

"Me," Knuckles told him cheerfully as he helped Sonic upright. "Shadow there told me that the ritual needed you put under, without using drugs. Figured a quick ambush would hurt less."

Sonic shook his head, giving Shadow a quick glare. "All those meditation techniques, all those exercises to help me sleep and you called in Knuckles to knock me out?"

Shadow, who looked ready to kneel over, managed a weak chuckle. "What fun would it have been otherwise?" Shadow asked.

Sonic wanted to be angry but in truth, he was exhausted as well. His body hadn't moved but his mind felt like someone was using a jackhammer on it. "How long were we out?" He asked.

"About eight hours, give or take," Shadow told him. "You had me worried Sonic. I did tell you not to interfere."

"Better to ask forgiveness than permission," Sonic replied tiredly. "I had to anyway. Me being in her head screwed with her normal sequence, because I was always an outside stimuli. Thanks for keeping an eye on us Shadow."

Shadow, a bit surprised, nodded in aknowledgement. Knuckles harumphed behind him and Sonic chuckled. "And thank you Knux. I'm glad someone was here to keep Shad out of trouble."

Shadow made an indignant sound but all converstaion ceased as Miley started waking up. Her eyes fluttered for a minute, as she slowly woke and sat up slowly, her arms trembling. "Ok, I vote we never do that again," She groaned as she sat up. "Why does everything with Chaos make my head hurt?"

"Not everything does," Shadow said mildly. "Otherwise Sonic walking into the room would send spikes through your head." Sonic gave him a quick glare but most of his attention was on Miley. He kept twitching his hands, wanting to reach out and touch her but holding back at the same time.

Knuckles sighed as he closed his eyes. He gave off a quick green glow and nodded to Shadow. "Everyone's whole but we all need rest, you three in particular. Do you know if Sally still has a room for me? My Chaos level will mess with the Warp Ring."

Shadow looked at Sonic who nodded. "She set you up a new room in the east wing," He told Knuckles. "I'll page her on my way out."

"Out? Where are you going Sonic?" Shadow asked sharply.

"Home," Sonic told him tiredly. "Something with that ritual completely wiped me out. I'll only be a liablity on the field and Miley won't be able to help Rotor in her condition. She's even worse off than I am. Sally knows about it, so I'll use one of those days off she offered me earlier."

Shadow started to protest but Knuckles nodded. "Good. Get a good meal and lots of sleep," He told them. He turned to Shadow and held a hand up to stave off his protests. "Home is the best place to rest. This disturbance was caused by Chaos, so a little Order will help. I know G.U.N.'s too far away for you as Angle Island is for me, so we'll have to make do here but there's nothing stopping Miley or Sonic going home."

Shadow scowled. "Fine, but I don't do house calls Hedgehog," He warned Sonic.

"Hope not faker," Sonic chuckled as he walked out. "Don't think the house could stand it." He ducked as a pen flew through the air with a grin. Miley headed for the door while Sonic made a quick stop to talke with Sally and give her a recount of what had happened, minus Miley's life story and personal demons, and told her they were headed home. Sally didn't protest, only left Sonic his next mission.

Miley was waiting anxiously at the front gate, not meeting Sonic's eyes when he offered to take her home. He didn't seem to notice, too tired and eager to get home. She was quiet throughout dinner, except for the occasional pained glance at Sonic. She headed for bed early, and while Sonic noticed, he didn't comment. He knew she wasn't asleep but let her be. Miley would need to make another choice coming up, and he wanted it to completely be her choice, no matter what it was.

**Corny ending, sorry. I'll try and update soon. Please R and R.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Yay two chapters in one day. I'll try and post a third tomorrow, it's almost done.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog. After writing some of this, I think that's a good thing.**

(General POV)

She sighed as she rolled over. She had woken early, covered in a cold sweat but she just lay in bed. She could feel the tears forming but she forced them back. "Not tonight," She ordered herself. "Not after yesterday. You're a big girl; you spend a night in your bed alone."

But she couldn't help it. Something felt like it was missing without Sonic there. But she couldn't bring herself to wake him up. He had put up with so much.

She sighed and got up. She wasn't going to be able to sleep anyway, so she went downstairs, her hands over the railing for the stairs. She took a good look around the house, running her hands over the wood. She hadn't really noticed that Sonic's house was made almost entirely of wood. Almost nobody had pure wood because nanites couldn't fix it. The nanties repaired the cement houses much quicker than people could build them, and you had to pay for whatever wood you needed for the repairs. For whatever reason the nanites couldn't repair wood. Even Nicole, who monitered and controlled the nanites, didn't know why, and as a result, very few people had wooden houses.

She wandered down the hallway, staring wistfully at the kitchen and living room. Both were partially connected by the dining room but each was a separate room that had its own warm feel. "So much different from my house," She thought ruefully. She walked carefully through the rooms, starting at the kitchen and ending up in the living room. She ran her hands along the couch, looking sadly around the room. "I wish I could stay here."

But she couldn't. Not anymore. Not after last night. She knew Sonic would let her but after what she had done; it wasn't fair of her to stay. There wasn't a reason for her to stay.

She looked at the couch and instead headed to the kitchen. She wanted to leave now, head out without Sonic knowing but she needed to leave him something. He had to know she had left, or else he'd look for her. She couldn't let him do that.

She looked around the kitchen, grabbing Sonic's notepad off his fridge. She hunted around for a pen, rooting through drawers in frustration of not being able to find any. With a growl of frustration, she closed all the drawers only to feel something tap her shoulder. She spun around and saw Sonic, standing behind her, offering a pen. "I might have been easier to talk with me in person," He told her. "But if the note makes you feel better, go ahead."

Miley swallowed and looked down. She hadn't expected him to be awake. "I have to go," She said quietly, without looking up.

Sonic didn't reply immediately. "Really?" He finally asked. "You have to go? I thought you like it here."

Miley couldn't speak. She kept silent for a while, as did Sonic. Finally he asked her, "Where would you go?"

Miley looked up in surprise. She hadn't truly thought of that. Sonic continued, "You might be able to fly a little now but it would take you weeks to get strong enough to fly any distance. So you'd have to stay local and I can tell you from personal experience that Freaks aren't welcome many places in the Kingdom of Acorn, and there are even less places outside of that. Aside from that, you're fifteen. You don't have any training or education outside of what Rotor taught you, so you're stuck doing menial labour, which isn't very common because we're at war, doing something illegal which is hazardous to your health, or prostituting yourself. Is that what you want?"

Miley shook her head slowly. "I didn't say I wanted to go," She told him quietly.

"Then why leave?" Sonic asked.

Miley didn't have an answer. Sonic shrugged. "I'll get breakfast started." He walked over and opened the fridge, leaving a dumbfounded Miley sitting at the table.

She didn't even notice that breakfast was ready until Sonic put a plate in front of her. "Here you go," He said.

She stared at the food for a minute, not touching it. Why was he bothering? Why did he care? She looked over at Sonic, trying to voice her question. "Why-" She started, until she caught his eye. He was staring at her, waiting for her to speak.

"Why what?" He asked calmly.

"Why do you…" She shook her head. "Why do you try so hard? Not just for me but for everyone?"

Sonic shrugged. "What else can I do?" He asked. "Who else will?"

"The war has been going on for years," Miley answered. "They have people volunteering and being drafted. Why do you fight so hard?"

Sonic looked at his plate and sighed as he pushed it away. Propping his elbow up on the table, he rested his hand on his chin. "It's… It is a long story," He warned. Miley nodded and Sonic looked down at the table.

"Before the war started, my parents and my dad's brother, Uncle Chuck, were all advisors for the king. My dad worked with Antoine's as a general, my mother was part of the king's spy network and my uncle worked with the king's personal advisor and scientist. His name was Julian Robotnick. The Kingdom wasn't perfect, not by a long shot with all the border problems and the internal corruption. But the king was working to fix it as best he could. For that, he kept turning to Robotnick and Uncle Chuck."

Sonic shook his head. "Only it wasn't just the king. Until the war began, the biggest problem in Acorn was all the little councillors and lords. In order to keep locals happy, we were forced to allow them to have their own local ruler who represented them to the king. Problem was, a lot of the locals had corruption problems, and more than a few were living in almost destroyed areas. So since the king didn't have an easy solution, he had to turn to Robotnick and Uncle Chuck, and eventually the locals just went straight to them for an easy fix to their problems. But when they asked for the solution, they didn't want the real answer; they wanted a solution with no effort on their part. So my uncle and Robotnick kept working harder and harder, coming up with more complicated solutions for simple problems."

Miley looked confused. "Why didn't their solutions work?"

"Because they didn't have to change," Sonic told her. "None of the Mobians wanted to change anything in their lives; they just wanted to keep going about like they were, damn all the consequences. Their world was sinking into chaos and demanded it be restructured time and time again. They were destroying the kingdom, and even the king needed to demand impossible solutions."

Miley shook her head. "This all happened before the war?" She asked. Sonic nodded. "What does that have to do with now?"

Sonic scowled. "This has everything to do with the war. The nobles were causing a lot of damage, not only to the kingdom but to the people themselves. They damage to the kingdom was poisoning the people, and diseases were cropping up everywhere. Even though they weren't medical doctors, Robotnick and Uncle Chuck were asked to try and help. The king didn't expect them to be able to fix the problem, but he hoped that maybe, just maybe, they'd be able to help prevent a total disaster. Then the king got sick."

"Now, Uncle Chuck and Robotnick worked day and night. They were completely loyal to the king, and the would have done anything to save him. And, to the shock of all, they did find a solution to the plague, and to any disease in the future." Sonic shook his head. "They built the Robotcizer."

That shocked her. "They built that!" She snapped. "Why?"

"To save the king they loved!" Sonic snapped back. "What does the Robotcizer do exactly?"

"It enslaves us!" Miley snapped. "It robs us of our essence, our free will-"

"Our mortality," Sonic told her.

That stopped her. "What?" She asked in shock.

Sonic looked at her sadly. "Miley, the Robotcizer was designed to preserve life," He told her. "It orders the cells in the body to the point that it turns them into a robotic life form. Nothing more. The side effect was that the creators were able to command them, not because it robbed them of their free will but because they feel the need to maintain the order for whoever ordered them. You can rebel as you wish; you are still you. But you have a choice to obey."

Miley shook her head slowly, struggling to comprehend. "But, if it was made for the kingdom, how did Eggman get it?"

Sonic didn't answer. Slowly it sank in. "What happened to Robotnick?" She asked hesitantly.

Sonic looked at her sadly. "He and Uncle Chuck tested out the Robotcizer, and found out what it did. Uncle Chuck wanted to destroy it, and so did Robotnick after a time. But the doctors begged them not to, because nothing else would save the king. Dr. Quack couldn't find a cure." Sonic looked down at the table angrily. "At first, everyone loved the Robotcizer. It made one immune to disease, you no longer needed to eat, and they could live in any mess that people made. But slowly, people started to dislike it. They couldn't feel anything as Robians, or taste food, or sleep. They missed being flesh and blood. So they demanded Robotnick change them back. And he couldn't. He tried and tried, even after Uncle Chuck gave up. People came to him demanding he fix everything. He even had attempts on his life because of what he had made. Finally, he snapped."

"Robotnick took the Robotcizer and built it again on an industrial scale. He did it in secret, and when it was built, he told Uncle Chuck what his plan was. He was going to fix everything. 'They want order, so I'll give them order!' He planned to Robotcize everything." Sonic swallowed and looked away, his voice breaking. "He claimed it would work. He would fix the kingdom, and the whole world. The king would never die, the Robians would never be sick or hungry again. Death would be a fleeting and forgotten concept. Everyone would live."

Miley stared, understanding what was happening. "Robotnick became Eggman, didn't he?"

"Yeah, he did," Sonic pinched the bridge of his nose. "He thought that he'd be able to just order everything into perfection. And knowing him, he might have managed it. But that took away many Mobian's free will, or so Uncle Chuck thought. So he tried to convince Robotnick to stop, begging him not to. Robotnick refused and Uncle Chuck revealed everything to the king. The king didn't know what to do with Robotnick, who he considered a trusted advisor, but even more-so a friend. He was forced to act by the nobles who needed someone to blame for their stupidity. Robotnick was an easy scapegoat, being an Overlander. So the king imposed a form of exile, banishing him to the edge of the kingdom where he had his summer retreat."

"That was it? Just exiled him?" Miley asked surprised.

"He was one of the king's personal advisors who had done as he was ordered to try and deal with a plague," Sonic told her sharply. "Robotnick wasn't always evil Miley, and yes he made the Robotcizer but so did my Uncle."

Miley flinched at this but didn't comment. Sonic waited a moment, before finishing, "The exile was the worst thing that could have happened though. Alone on the edges of the kingdom, he started his plan. He still wanted to order everything, but he realised that everyone would resist so he would have to use force. He built himself an army, his first models of the Swatbots and started to amass an empire right outside of the Kingdom. And then he declared war on us."

Miley waited for a moment, staring at Sonic as if afraid to ask a question. Finally, she hesitantly asked, "That explains the founding of the Egg Empire, but it doesn't explain why you have to fight him."

Sonic stared at the table. "When I first met Robotnick, I was three years old and he was bouncing me on his knee." He told her softly. Miley's eyes widened. "Earlier in the war, when it was just on the border of the Kingdom, Robotnick still negotiated with the king, still remained in contact with his friends. He used to come around, once a month and because I couldn't say his name, I called him Eggman, because he looked like an egg to me. He used to give me mother information so she wouldn't have to send spies into the outer reaches of his empire, and used to send my dad back fallen soldiers. I didn't realise it at the time but I found this out as I got older."

Sonic didn't look like he wanted to finish. He stared at the table, his shoulders hunched. "And?" Miley prompted as gently as she could.

"The war got worse," Sonic finished. "It kept getting worse, until my dad decided to go and fight on the front lines with my mother taking to the field to get him information. I was left alone with Uncle Chuck for months, no information coming through. I didn't know what had happened and I expected the worst; that they were dead, that Eggman had killed them. I still didn't hate him, not then. My parents and Uncle Chuck insisted he was a great man, one of the few good Overlanders that they had met. So I waited for months, hoping that my parents would come home, that Eggman would be merciful and send them back. And he did. He sent them back Robotcized and they tried to kill me and Uncle Chuck."

Sonic shook his head. "For whatever reason, I make most Robians go crazy. They get violent around me, and normally try to kill me. Even the peaceful ones that resist Eggman and live just in the Kingdom have trouble being around me. Whether or not Eggman tried to, he sent my parents to kill me. They threw me in the lake and tried to drown me. Uncle Chuck tried to help but a Robian is way stronger than any Mobian. He was overpowered."

Miley swallowed heavily. "You killed your parents?" She whispered, shocked.

"I had to," Sonic replied, his voice breaking, his hands gripping the edge of the table tightly. "They wouldn't stop. I wasn't strong enough to stop them and they would have killed Uncle Chuck. It was the first time I'd used my Spin Dash on anyone and I sliced right through them."

Miley stared at him, a little horrified. Sonic just sat there, staring at his hands. "So now you know," He finally said, his voice rough. "That's why I'm fighting him. There's nothing left for me to do. Uncle Chuck's in an institution on suicide watch, and my parents are dead. Even Uncle Chuck doesn't know what to do anymore. He lost his sister and his brother-in-law to his best friend, and he barely recognises me anymore."

Miley swallowed again, staring at Sonic. She stood up uncertainly and Sonic looked away, waiting for her to leave. Instead, he heard her approach and to his dismay, she crouched down and hugged him. "I'm sorry Sonic," She told him quietly. "I didn't know anything like that had happened. I don't know what else I can say."

He didn't reply but when he hugged her back, he pulled Miley in closer, so close she couldn't stand anymore and ended up sitting on him. "Thank you," He managed, quiet as it was. Miley just smiled and sat there, holding him while he needed to be held. When they finally broke apart, she gave him a moment to wipe his eyes and try and regain his composure.

He got up, heading to the middle of the kitchen and grabbed a tissue, grimacing as he blew his nose. "Well, I guess that's a fun way to start the day," He said with a weak chuckle. Miley just grinned in return. "So what do you want to do Miley? Do you want to leave?"

Her smile faltered and she looked away. Taking a shaky breath, she asked, "If I say yes, what will you do?"

"Take you where you want to go," Sonic told her with a shrug. "Give you some money to get started. Leave you alone if you want me to."

Miley stood by the table, her head down. "I want to stay Sonic, more than anything. But how can I? I nearly killed you, twice."

Sonic chuckled, this time more like his usual self. "Only twice? You're doing much better than any roommate I've had before now. And that's not counting how many near-death experiences I have just on a normal work day." Miley didn't reply. Sonic looked at her, and waited for her to meet his eyes. "Miley, I do want you to stay. Regardless of what's happened, despite whatever might happen, I want you to stay. But only if you want to stay."

"And where do we go from there Sonic? What will happen if I stay with you?" She asked. Sonic looked confused. "Do you know what started my panics around you? You started looking at me differently. You started to look like you enjoyed looking at me."

To her surprise, Sonic blushed. "Umm... Yeah? Sorry, it's just..." Sonic rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, you are pretty. And you've been looking better each day."

Miley blinked in surprise. "And you didn't say anything because...?"

"I thought you'd be upset, or scared if you thought I was looking," Sonic admitted. "And we were pretty much spending every night in the same bed. I didn't want to freak you out."

Miley rolled her eyes. "Yeah, too little too late I know, but I wasn't trying to scare you. I knew you'd been through hell Miley, and after everything else, I felt that you trusted me and I didn't want to abuse that trust."

"So what do you think now?" Miley asked him. "You've been inside my head. You know that I'm better now and I find you attractive as well." She blushed a little at that but continued, "Where do we go from here? You've waited this long."

Sonic swallowed. "What are you asking Miley?" He finally asked, his voice tight.

She swallowed as well, much less noticeably and walked towards him. "What I'm asking, Sonic, is where do we go? You're attracted to me, I'm attracted to you, and you've put up with me for this long. I'm asking do we take a step forward." She put her arms around his neck and looked him the eye. There was hesitation, but also a look of longing as she moved her mouth towards his.

He gently put his hand in front of her mouth and pushed her back. "No," He said hoarsely. "No. Not like this. Not this soon." His voice trembled and he took her arms off his shoulders, pushing her back. "This is too soon Miley. Where do we go? If we act like that, we should just strip down and head upstairs because the table doesn't look comfortable. But that isn't what you need Miley, and much as I'd want to say yes now, afterwards? You'd be hurt, I'd be hurt, and for what?"

Miley looked at him, shocked. "So?"

Sonic took a step back and shook his head. "For now?" He took a long, deep breath. "For now, friends?"

Miley looked at him, and for a moment hesitated. "Friends," She agreed, glancing away from him and at the table. She saw most of breakfast still on the table, and sighed ruefully. "I don't suppose we still have time for breakfast?"

Sonic looked at the clock and looked at the food. He grinned. "Well, maybe if we hurry..." He sat back down and chuckled. "I've been slowing down on the way in for you. What do you say to me kicking it up a notch?"

Miley's eyes flashed excitedly but she tried to keep her face netural as she said, "Well, if you can managed. I thought it was a little slow for the fastest thing alive." Sonic just grinned at the challenge and hurriedly finished her breakfast.

(Miley's POV)

Miley rolled her stiff shoulders and heaved the large wrench over to Rotor. "I'm surprised you came in today," Rotor grunted as he worked on the bottom end of the plane.

"Why? It's not as if I was hurt or anything," Miley answered. "And I can't just sit around after a fall like that; Dr. Quack's orders. You're the hardest physical worker on base anyway."

Rotor chuckled. "Flattery will get you nowhere Tails," He warned her. "No lazy folks around here on my watch, no matter how nice to me they are. Now go get the goggles; we'll need the good torches for this next bit." Miley saluted and smiled as she forced herself to walk normally, it a little slower than normal as she went for the goggles and torches.

Now that she was cleared for more work, and since she had now shown she could fly Miley was being trained as a full-fledged Freedom Fighter. She spent her mornings being trained by Sally and Antoine in martial arts and weapons, or being taken by Cream for flying lessons. After her training, she was sent to hobble back to Rotor to help build whatever they were building at the time.

Miley handed Rotor his goggles and started setting up the torches. "Do you really think it'll work?" She asked as she put on her own goggles.

Rotor shrugged. "Never know until you try," He told her with a grin. "Besides, this is some of our best work. Don't know if we'll be able to build more than one but I think one is all we'll need."

Miley hoped so. It had taken them three weeks to put all the parts together for this project, and they were behind on their other work because of it. Not only had it been long and tedious, but they were using far more metal than they were budgeted to use. Steel and aluminum were rationed, and they had used nearly tripple the normal rations on this one.

Miley handed Rotor his torch and headed to the other side of the project. "I'll finish this side if you'll take that one." She called over. Rotor nodded, giving her a thumbs up before he went to work. Miley grinned as she flared the torch into a thin blue flame and got to work.

She spent close to three hours welding, taking over Rotor's side as well when his back wouldn't take the strain. He left her alone to work while he set up some other projects that needed to be done. When she did finally quit, it was with a grin as she stared at her finished work.

She turned to tell Rotor, only to find Sonic leaning against the wall chatting with him. Miley raised an eyebrow and cocked a hip. "Well," She called over, "So glad to see we've accomplished so much we can stand here and shoot the breeze."

"You can't shoot the wind Miley; it's too fast for the bullet to catch." Sonic grinned before walking over and inspecting her handy-work. "This is a real beaut Miley," He told her with a low whistle.

Miley blushed and was about to protest when Rotor came over and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Yeah it is," He agreed. "You've done a good job Tails. She just needs a paint job and we are done."

"Want a hand?" Sonic asked her. Miley looked him in surprise and Sonic shrugged. "I'm all thumbs with machines but I can paint just fine. Just tell me what to do, and I'll help."

Miley looked at Rotor, who nodded. "I need to work on fixing Cream's wrist-guns anyway. I'll flick on the vents and head to my room for the night. You know where the paint is right?" Miley nodded, still surprised. "Good. You guys have an hour, then I'm turning the vents onto night mode. I expect you both to be out by then."

Sonic stood at attention and saluted. "Sir, yes sir. We will not be here longer than an hour sir." Rotor shook his head and headed for his office.

Miley watched him walk away and turned to face Sonic shyly. "Thanks," She told him.

Sonic grinned. "Not a problem. I wish I could help you guys more. Now then," He rubbed his hands together eagerly. "What's on the agenda Captain? What colors do we need?"

Miley led him to the storeroom, glancing around at all the different paint colors. "How about we each chose?" She asked. "It'll need some sort of logo or something but it should all be one main color." Sonic nodded, and began hunting around for some paint while Miley sorted through the colors to find the shade she was looking for. Sonic seemed ready too so they headed out with the cans.

Sonic headed for the work bench first. Miley looked at him in surprise. "What are you doing?" She called over. Sonic just grinned and pulled out a massive sheet of paper. "Just some drawing," He called back.

Miley was now curious and wandered over. She saw the start of the shapes he was making and raised an eyebrow. "Are those-" She asked surprised.

"Yep," Sonic replied cheerfully as he kept drawing.

"And you want to put them...?" She asked a bit annoyed now.

"On the tail of course. It is yours after all." Sonic told her cheekily. "You'll match."

Miley suddenly felt the strong urge to hit him. Sonic glanced up, saw her look and his face went from teasing to worried. "Miley?" He asked hesitantly. "Miley, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong? Sonic you want to paint my butt on that!" She waved at the project. "I don't know if you think this is some kind of a joke but it isn't funny."

Sonic looked at her, shocked. Miley glared at him, anger rising up steadily and Sonic swallowed audibly. "I, did not think of it that way," Sonic admitted. "I just wanted to put a little of you on it. I didn't think drawing your tails would upset you."

Miley's anger didn't die down but it waned. "Why do I have to be on it at all?"

"This is your project," Sonic told her. "This is your masterpiece. Rotor helped build it but even he admits that it's more yours than anyone's. And knowing you, you'd want it to be conservatively painted, probably red or green. So I thought I'd leave a little something on the back that would remind people, or at least remind us who built this thing."

That calmed Miley down and with a sigh, her anger left her. "Sonic, I appreciate the thought really. But do you think it's necessary?"

He shrugged. "Not really. I just wanted to add something of value."

Miley raised an eyebrow at him. "So my butt is now something of value, is it?"

Sonic chuckled, and was about to comment when Miley threatened, "Make one comment about my features buddy and you won't leave this room alive."

Sonic raised his hands defensively, grinning the whole time. Miley shook her head and swatted at him. "And to think I actually argued against trapping you in a giant hamster ball and using you to power headquarters."

Sonic looked horrified for a moment. "Trapping me in another one of those death-traps?" He asked, shuddering. "No way. Once was enough. Those things are not designed for hedgehogs."

"So Shadow told me," She teased. "Now are you going to help me paint?"

"Sure," Sonic told her, standing up. "What color did you chose?"

"Ummm..." Miley blushed a little, showing him the spray cans. Sonic held up a can and with a bit of surprise, held it up to his quills.

Sonic raised an eyebrow. "So I'm not allowed to leave a bit of you on this, but you want to paint it entirely my shade of blue?"

Miley shrugged. "Well, I'm certainly not painting it the color of your butt. That would be frightening to see."

Sonic glanced behind himself with a sigh. "Sadly, not my best end," He agreed. "But you must have been looking to make the comparison."

"Looking, yes but only temporarily. You're the one who seems to have an obsession with it, and with mine." Miley flashed him a grin before putting on a face mask and shaking the paint can. "Now can we hurry up and paint this thing already?"

Sonic shook his head and mutter something about double standards which Miley giggled at. The two of them worked at it for half an hour, managing to completely paint the project. Sonic was done before Miley but she personally thought she'd done a better job. When it was done, Sonic looked it over and gave a low whistle. Miley grinned and stood beside him. "It does look nice, doesn't?"

Sonic nodded. "Just thought of something though. Do you have a name for it?" Miley looked a little surprised. She hadn't thought of a name, not realising the necessity of it. Sonic looked thoughtful. "How do you feel about the Tornado?"

Miley grinned at him. "Sounds perfect," She told him. "And I just thought of something." He looked at her confused. "Do you realise that the whole time, we didn't once call it a plane?"

Sonic snorted. "Planes are those things that Eggman keeps shooting out of the air," He told her. "This is no more a plane that Rotor's suit goes with a tie at a gala."

Miley giggled at the image of Rotor in his suit at one of the palace gatherings. "Ok, I can see that." She replied lightly. She looked down the Tornado with excited eyes. Something didn't feel right though. Something was missing.

Sonic must of followed her gaze, and said casually, "I know you don't want the tails on the tail but I think it would fit Miley." She looked at him curiously, not following his logic. "I'm serious Miley. The two tails would fit on the tail. You painted this blue but I think it needs a little orange too."

She looked at the bi-plane with a low sigh. "All right," She agreed grudgingly. "Put them on."

Sonic grinned and shook the paint can enthusiastically. It took him less than a minute to add the tails to both sides of the plane, which he looked childishly proud of. As much as she didn't want to admit it, Miley did see an improvement with the addition of the tails.

Sonic just grinned at her as he put away the paint. "What did I tell you?" He asked with a hint of a smirk. "It's perfect."

Miley rolled her eyes. "We don't know that yet. It hasn't been flown. We'll take it on a test flight tomorrow."

Sonic's face suddenly faltered. Miley turned to him in surprise. "What's wrong?"

Sonic grimaced as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small envelope. "I forgot until now," He said. "Everyone's sure the plane will work, so you've been assigned your first solo mission."

Miley froze at the news. "I've got a solo?" She asked, excitement building in her voice. Sonic nodded, his face blank. She frowned. "You don't sound very pleased."

Sonic handed her the envelope. "I'm thrilled that you're getting a solo mission," He told her. "But not at the assignment you've got."

Miley took the envelope, looking annoyed and tore out her orders. Upon reading the assignment, she paled. "This can't be right," She muttered. She looked at Sonic, who simply nodded. "I'm supposed to escort Prince Elias?"

Sonic coughed once. "King Elias," He told her.

Tails froze. "King?"

Sonic sighed. "Max isn't dead, yet," He reassured her. "But he's getting worse. Dr. Quack can't do much more now. The Council has officially declared Elias King."

Miley stared at him for a moment. "This is really my assignment?" She asked.

Sonic nodded. "Sally didn't have anyone else to send." He told her. "At least, no one else to send as back-up," He clarified. "We all know you're beyond ready for a solo mission. But we always like to have extra Fighters on such missions."

"You go out for solo escort missions," She reminded him.

"Not to brag Miley, but I am the fastest thing alive." Sonic reminded her. "Given some warning, I can grab a power ring and carry whoever I'm escorting to the location in a matter of seconds. I'm either given a spare ring to bring the Mobian back, or I'm sent back-up and a transport vehicle and I'm ground cover for the remainder of the mission."

Miley nodded. "But why don't I have back-up?"

Sonic sighed. "For the same reason that Elias is making this trip," He told her. "All the treaties have now changed, with the change in leadership. Elias has to go renegotiate all the treaties. There will be a Freedom Fighter team waiting in each Kingdom. Elias can only travel with you to show that he is capable of looking after himself and not just a figurehead for the Fighters."

Miley nodded. "We've been a little too active in other countries for them to think otherwise," She agreed. "But wouldn't me escorting him just prove it more?"

"Not according to Sally, because you'll be flying him everywhere rather than looking like an enforcer. And the other Freedom Fighters are only there instead of bringing a whole troop of guards to look after him," Sonic added. He looked at Miley with a worried look. "You don't have to accept if you don't want to," He warned her.

Miley shook her head. "Of course I want to," She snapped. "Why wouldn't I?"

Sonic looked at her, shocked and hurt. "Because as missions go, you just drew the short straw!" He snapped back. "Being on escort duty for Elias is hell, and he's one of the best nobles to have to escort. In bodyguard duty, the bodyguard is at a high risk of death because no matter how skilled you are, your success and life depends on the body you guard being able to follow orders, which isn't always easy especially when you're guarding a noble who doesn't want to listen."

"I can take care of myself Sonic, and I don't like you implying I can't" Miley snarled at him.

Sonic glared at her for a moment before turning away. "I wasn't suggesting such a thing," He replied coldly. "Forgive me for being concerned about you." With that, he walked out of the workroom at a controlled pace. Miley scowled in his direction and turned around as someone cleared their throat behind her.

Miley spun around and saw Rotor leaning against the wall, fiddling with Cream's wrist-guns. "I'd say you two are off to a great start as coworkers," Rotor told her calmly.

Miley looked at him, a snarl still on her face. "How much did you hear?" She asked angrily.

Rotor glanced pointedly at the ceiling where cameras peered down upon the workshop. "Oh," Miley muttered, slightly embarrassed.

Rotor shook his head. "I thought you two would have understood by now," He told her sadly.

"Understood what?" Miley snapped. "That he's crude and arrogant and thinks I'm incompetent?"

"That you don't want to be protected, and Sonic has lost everything he's cared about in the past," Rotor replied, his voice not rising.

Miley looked at him angrily but his words had struck a chord. "What do you mean?"

Rotor didn't look up, only continued to fiddle with the wrist-guns. "You've spent so many years helpless that you want to prove that you can take care of yourself and not rely on anyone else. That's why when Sonic offered you a way out, you were angry. He wasn't trying to be rude; he just spoke from experience about how hard of a mission you were getting for your first one and offered to step in if you felt it wasn't manageable. You took it as him saying you were incompetent when really, he was just trying to protect you. Likewise, when you snapped at Sonic it hurt because he's trying to deal with the fact that you are in real danger."

Miley snorted. "I'm flying a plane into allied territory. How dangerous can that be?"

Rotor looked up and gave her a hard look. "You're in the middle of a war with a technological genius and madman, who wants to conquer the world for fun and destroys our Air Force on a whim," Rotor told her, his voice growing harsher. "All the while, we have countries that would stomp us out of existence if they could because they could, former states with no lost love for the Kingdom, and plenty of rulers with a lust for power that dwarfs Eggman's who just lack the strength to act. This is what you'll be escorting Elias through, and you're in more danger than he is, because he is worth more alive than dead."

Miley froze at that point. It had never really occurred to her that this mission would be that dangerous. "Is it really that bad?" She wondered.

"Worse," Rotor told her. "There's a reason why the Freedom Fighters handled most of the foreign missions; No one else was good enough. Even full squads of the army aren't equipped to deal with some of the powers that be around there. Heck, we aren't equipped to deal with all the powers out there."

Miley leaned against the work table, stunned. "But then, how-"

Rotor shrugged. "Eggman is brilliant. For every power he's faced, he's come up with a solution to take it down. He even took down a Chaos Mage who controlled technology from what I've heard. And we have some powers on our side as well."

Miley swallowed heavily and looked at Rotor. "I had no idea," She said, mostly to herself.

"And we've worked hard to keep it that way," Rotor told her. "That's what the Freedom Fighters do. We fight the fights no one else can, and keep it as quiet as possible. The worst thing for us is when the attacks go public because that means we let it reach our borders."

Miley just nodded, replaying the short fight in her head. "I screwed up," She said quietly.

Rotor nodded. "But so did Sonic," He told her. "Neither one of you understood what was bothering the other, and I think that was worse than anything that could have happened."

"But what do I do?" She asked. "How do I fix it?"

"It? Miley, a relationship, be it with friends, family or lovers, isn't a machine. You can't do a little damage and just paint over it or replace a part. There is no instruction manual," Rotor told her. "Your best bet is to head home and talk it over with Sonic."

Miley swallowed. "That's it? Just talk?" She asked hesitantly.

Rotor chuckled. "Tails, Sonic has a hard time holding grudges. The fact that he walked out of here rather than ran shows that he's willing to talk with you. Now go; standing with me and talking won't help anything."

Miley nodded and turned, running out the door even though she knew Sonic was gone. She didn't look behind her, but she forced herself to commit to memory finding some way to thank Rotor in the future.

(Sonic's POV)

Sonic stared at the ceiling, muttering to himself under his breath. "Stupid," He muttered. "Why did I do that?"

He sighed as he lay on his bed, thinking about the conversation. "I'd love to know what I did wrong this time," He muttered angrily. "I mean, first I piss off Sally, then I scare the hell out of Miley, and now I've somehow pissed her off. To top it off I just walked away. Real bright Sonic."

He groaned and sat up. "Damn it all, why?" He snarled. "What do I keep doing wrong? This happens every time damn it."

He froze as he heard the front door open. He stood up, snapping himself out of his funk and raced out of his room to look down onto the main floor, ready to pounce on the intruder.

Miley looked up at him, hesitantly closing the door behind her.

Sonic stared for a minute, forcing himself to calm down as he looked down at Miley. She stared back at him awkwardly. Finally, he let his shoulders slump and he acknowledged her with a weary, "Hey."

Miley didn't reply immediately, only responded back, "Hey," as she crossed to the middle of the living room. She glanced up at him, on arm holding her elbow across her body as she said, "I think we need to talk."

He tried to keep the surprise out of his face as he came down the stairs. "Talk?" He asked hesitantly.

"Talk," Miley agreed quietly. She waited until Sonic was in the living room before sinking onto the couch. "I'm sorry."

That threw Sonic completely out of the loop. "Sorry?"

"For snapping at you. For getting angry." She sighed, keeping her head down and not looking at Sonic as she explained, "Ever since you've been in my head, it's been difficult to be around you. I can't keep my feelings straight, and things were getting pretty chaotic for me. And when you suggested that I drop the mission, I was hurt. I've been working as hard as I can to become as competitent as I can, and I thought you were telling me it didn't make a difference. I thought you were belittling all that I'd done."

Sonic stared for a moment, realisation sinking in. "Oh crap," He groaned, collapsing into the chair opposite her. "You mean that when I said you could drop the mission, you thought I was telling you you weren't good enough to handle it?"

"Pretty much," Miley agreed, a bit miffed about the oversimplification.

Sonic sighed and shook his head. "Ok, I'm sorry. I had no idea that I was saying that, or that it came across like that. What I'm worried about is the mission itself. Like I said Miley, it doesn't matter how good you are being a bodyguard. You've been training real hard, and you are really good at whatever you decide to do. But being a bodyguard is the worst type of job that we've got, and this is literally your first mission, so you don't have the experience. You could be the best Freedom Fighter we've ever seen, the best damn anything we've ever seen, and you could die because Elias didn't hear the word stop. That's what I was worried about."

Miley nodded. "I figured that out, once I calmed down and Rotor filled me in on some details." She told him. Sonic made a mental note to find a way to thank Rotor as Miley continued, "He also reminded me that you keep losing people. I hadn't thought about that, how hard it is for you to watch people you care about go off into the war and risk not coming back."

"I think there's a but missing in that sentence," Sonic said, wishing he didn't have to hear what was coming next.

Miley nodded. "Sonic, I'm going to be a Freedom Fighter, like you," She told him. "I'm going to be in danger. Yes this first mission will be tough; I understand that now. But I also understand that no one else can do this. Even if you ran Elias everywhere, it wouldn't help would it? You're the back-up in case something doesn't feel like playing nice, and nobody else can fly the Tornado. I have to do this."

"Even though there's a good chance you'll die?" Sonic asked frantically. "Miley, don't you see that? How can I sit back and watch you go out like that when you could die?"

Miley just gave him a sad smile and reality kicked him in the teeth. "This is what you deal with, isn't it?" He asked softly. "This feeling of helplessness."

Miley nodded. "Every time you head out on a mission," She told him. "And I accept that you're hard to kill, but that Eggman keeps trying anyway."

Sonic shook his head, standing up. "How do you stand it?" He asked. "You haven't even left yet and I'm like this. I want to go out and fight something, protect you from everything and there isn't even a threat yet."

Miley stood up too. "It's hard," She admitted to him. She crossed the living room, placing a hand on his shoulder. "But I don't understand why it would be so hard for you, if you have faith in me."

Sonic turned to her, looking her in the eyes. Miley froze, staring at him and before she could react, wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.

He felt this world stop for a second, his heart pounding at Miley being so close to him. He felt all his emotion, his fear, his pain, his lust and passion, all swirling around into a giant mess during the kiss. He could feel Miley's pain too, her fear of losing him, both in battle and after their fight, losing what they didn't yet have Everything flew through him and he tried, desperately, to show Miley what he meant.

After what felt like an eternity, they broke apart. Miley was panting and shaking, relying on Sonic to keep her upright. "That's why," He told her gently while she recovered. "You're all I have left Miley. Sally couldn't be with me if I was a Fighter, and I couldn't be with her with her as my boss. My family's dead or insane and the Fighters are at their breaking point. You are literally all I have left."

Miley stared at him. "What," She started, then cut herself off. "What was that?"

Sonic shrugged. "I don't know," He said honestly. "You tell me."

"It felt, like everything spinning. Fear, pain," She blushed, "Lust, everything. Just stirred into one big pot and dumped all over me. And you were terrified, absolutely terrified of losing me." Sonic just nodded. Miley looked at him. "You're about to break. You've bent yourself every which way to avoid losing anyone, to avoid any more deaths, and you can't keep it up. If you bend anymore, you will break."

Sonic nodded again. "Yeah," He agreed softly. "I'm tired Miley. I'm tired of fighting, day in and day out, against something that I can't beat. I can go out, smash hundreds of Swatbots and save dozens of Robians, only for nothing changing at the end of the day. Eggman hasn't gotten weaker, his empire is still expanding, and I can't even keep those I care about safe. And you know what the worst part is? Before you came along, I'd been coming home alone, to my parents old house, and realising that people didn't care. If I lived or died, no one would notice or care, except that I left a vacuum in the work place."

Miley shook her head. "The Fighters would care," She told him firmly. "And others would have cared."

Sonic shrugged. "Maybe. But it didn't make a real difference Miley. I wanted to give up. I wanted to quit, to leave the kingdom to its fate and let myself lose. I didn't feel like it was worth fighting anymore."

Miley looked at him, her face showing she didn't know where this was going. "So?" She asked quietly. "What changed?"

Sonic shook his head. "I don't know," He told her. "You came along, and something sparked again. Before I even knew who you were, when I pulled you out of your house, something restarted. I wanted to fight again. I needed to." He looked at Miley and sighed. "I know you're going on that mission. I don't know why we fought, or why I needed to tell you this, but I did."

Miley pulled away from him, and Sonic didn't stop her. She didn't reply for a moment, but with a tired sigh, she asked him, "Do you want me to reject the mission?"

"If there was an alternative? Yes. As it is?" Sonic shook his head. "No. I wish there was another way, or that someone could go with you but I don't want you to reject the mission if you don't want to."

Miley didn't reply to that. When she spoke, her voice wasn't very steady. "Sonic, I'm scared. Honestly, I didn't think of anything that could go wrong and now I'm terrified. I know its normal, and I know I can handle it, but I'm still scared. I have to do this Sonic. I can't be scared of everything. I can't just hide from my fear anymore. You know that."

"I do," He said quietly."Honestly, I do. And I'm scared to Miley. Eggman isn't the only threat out there, and you're going to be flying headfirst into many of them, on their home territory."

Miley looked at him and made a face. "You're doing wonders for my confidence." She told him.

Sonic shrugged, wanting to laugh but failing to see any humour in the statement. "It's the truth. You'd be crazy not to be scared. But that doesn't mean I think you'll fail. I know you can do this. I'm just scared at what cost."

Miley sank back onto the couch, and this time Sonic joined her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and she leaned against him. "I'll tell Sally I've accepted tomorrow," She told Sonic. "Is there anything I should know about in advance?"

Sonic shrugged. "Sally will be better for briefing you but I'd advise brushing up on your weapons training if you haven't already. And make sure the Tornado is packing plenty of bang as well. But I think we've worried about that enough for right now, right?" Miley nodded and just sat there quietly. Sonic gave her a worried smile before eventually getting up to make dinner. "Miley, if you do decide to do this, remember that you might be alone in the field but if you call for me, I'll come for you. I'll be there before you can blink." Miley nodded with a shy smile, the fight over for now. But for the rest of the night, neither talked and both went to bed early and Sonic doubted he was the only one who had trouble sleeping.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys. Sorry for taking so long to update, life has been stupidly busy for me for a while. Just finished editing this tonight, and I'm almost done the next chapter so that will hopefully be up soon. Also, I apologise in advance for any bad sentences or grammar, since I have no doubt there'll be some left even after two beta readers helping me, since I've been that bad in the past.**

**Well I'm done ranting. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog.**

(Miley's POV)

Miley finished her once over with the Tornado, calling over to Rotor, "Everything checks out."

The Walrus Mobian nodded. "Same for me. I've loaded everything to the max, and we've already seen how much fuel this thing uses. She's ready for you Tails." Rotor rolled his shoulders and stretched. Miley winced at the sounds his back was making. "Now, we've got to get you ready."

Miley nodded and followed Rotor up to where Sally was waiting for her. "Ok Tails," Sally told her. "You've got three minutes to get suited up while Rotor and I raid the armoury. Elias is ten minutes away and you're scheduled to leave in half an hour. Time to get moving."

Miley nodded, grabbing the camouflage suit that Sally had set out for her. The suit was tight against her skin, not in a way that hampered her movement but enough that it was streamlined should she need to move quickly. She could feel the light layer of armour that was sewn into the cloth, which would offer a small amount of protection from bladed weaponry.

She came out before her three minutes were up, only to be greeted by Rotor holding a gun belt. "Here you go," He told her. "Standard issue G-17 laser pistol. The battery in that can fire for seventy hours straight unless you condense the beam, in which case you've only got twenty. The handle will also scan your DNA and only fire for you."

Miley took the belt and picked up the gun, letting the scanner start its work. "Only one gun?" She asked, a little surprised.

"You've got the combat training and this isn't a combat mission," Rotor told her. "You've probably noticed a lack of armour on your suit too. We aren't the army, and you need to be able to move. Freaks like us Fighters have tougher skin than normal. Surely you've noticed that in the workout room all of us have been hit by Sonic's Spin Dash." Miley nodded. "We can survive it. It hurts, but our bodies are tough enough to take the blow. We aren't bullet proof but we're close enough that with the light armour, we can take a few hits. And it means that if we hit a Swatbot, or anything else Eggman makes, it feels it."

Miley nodded and slid the gun back in its holster. "All the same, do you think it would be all right for me to take a second, smaller gun?" She asked. "The boots have compartments for hidden weapons."

"Should already be in them," Rotor told her. "Two emergency pistols, knives, lock picks and files. Plus the heels each have an electromagnetic pulse slash stun grenade in them. If you need more than that, you're royally screwed."

"I hope not; Sally would never forgive me," Miley managed with a straight face.

Rotor chuckled. "You watch your mouth missy," He scolded her mockingly. "And Sally wouldn't kill you; Elias' wife would. Whoever said royalty is soft has never met that woman."

Miley chuckled and followed Rotor to where Sally was waiting with a Mobian she didn't know. He was a bit taller than Sally, with a similar build but was dressed in a complete blue suit with a cloak. Miley didn't need to give him the customary once over to assume this was Sally's brother, King Elias.

Sally nodded to Miley before turning to her brother. "Elias, this is Miley Prower, but for the mission, you'll be calling her Tails," She introduced the girl. Both Miley and Sally had agreed that Tails was suitable comm-link name while they had prepared for the mission. "She'll be your escort."

Elias looked Miley over, giving her a warm smile. "Good to meet you Ms. Prower," He said, reaching out a hand. As he moved, Miley caught a flicker of metal under his cloak. She chose not to react, instead shaking the offered hand.

"Likewise your highness," Miley told him. "As honored as I am meeting you sire, we don't have much time before we need to leave. I think it's best if we head for the Tornado now, and I'll give you a once over on the controls."

"Me? Why?" He asked, a little surprised.

"If I'm injured or killed while up in the air, you'll need to know enough of the controls to handle the craft," Miley told him bluntly. "Sally has informed me that you are an excellent pilot, so the Tornado shouldn't be a problem for you."

"Hold on," Elias held up a hand, shaking his head. "Back up. Let's start again. Hi, I'm Elias. Nice to meet you Tails. Why am I getting flying lessons ten minutes before being thrown in a plane?"

Miley forced down the urge to grin. "With all due respect your majesty, it's fifteen minutes and because I can't plan for everything. My duty is to guard you between kingdoms and I will do my best but in case of anything going wrong, I need to ensure you can travel safely. It will take a good deal of firepower to take down the Tornado but I'm just flesh and blood." She gave a shrug. "One stray bullet or beam and you don't have a pilot. I need to make sure you survive this trip."

Elias stared at her for a moment before shaking his head again. "What have you been teaching these kids?" He asked Sally sadly. "Ok Tails, you're right. Lead the way."

Miley nodded, turned sharply and guided him over to the plane. "Are you armed your majesty?" She asked.

"I will not making any show of force during the negotiations," Elias told her firmly.

"That wasn't my question your majesty," Miley responded calmly. "I was asking if you were armed now or if we need to stop by armoury before leaving."

"That is quite all right Tails. I won't be bringing any weapons from here with me," Elias told her.

"Very good sire. Then I will advise you to hide your blades a little more discretely, since they aren't very well hidden right now." Miley gave him a grin. "It wouldn't help the peace talks if you are called a liar."

Elias glanced down and cursed, buttoning his jacket. "Blasted things," He muttered. "Great in a fight but no subtlety to them."

"Few subtle weapons are good in a fight," Miley commented casually. "Most subtle weapons are the hit and run style. Sally, do you think his majesty might benefit from a new pair of boots?"

Sally nodded. "Rotor's bringing a pair up," Sally told her. "It's been a little while since we've been shopping so I didn't remember his shoe size."

Miley nodded and showed Elias the plane. He was too well brought up to whistle, but he nearly slipped anyway. "This is a very nice plane Ms. Prower," Elias told her with admiration.

"Please call me Tails, your majesty," Miley told him. "Since I'm going to be your bodyguard on this mission, it might be best if you refer to me by my code name." Elias nodded. "And thank you. It took a great deal of effort to make the Tornado. Now, here are the controls."

Miley gave Elias a quick once over, having him repeat back where all the basic flying controls were and she gave him a basic rundown on the weapons. "We shouldn't need them, but in case we do, I have the full weapon system up." She told him. "Missiles, lasers, bullets and flares. The targeting systems are here," She showed him, "And defensive measures are here and here. Any questions?"

Elias shook his head slowly. "How long did it take you to make this?"

"About a month. Lots of trial and error. We're still improving it." Miley told him. "It uses a lot of metal though, and there's not enough of an advantage over the military combat planes compared to this one. How long we go?" Miley asked Sally, leaving Elias a little startled.

"Five minutes before you need to prep for take-off." Sally told her.

"Good. I'm using the washroom and I suggest that you do as well your majesty because that's one thing we haven't managed to install yet." Miley told him, walking off as Sally directed her brother to the appropriate room.

Prepping the plane only took a few minutes, and most of it was spent just making sure all the systems were running smoothly. "You've got clear skies. For now. This is storm season," Rotor warned Miley as she prepared to take off. "Best get in the air and try not to slow down if you can avoid it." Miley nodded, sliding her communicator onto her wrist.

As she tightened the strap, she bit her lip nervously before turning to Rotor. "Has Sonic checked in?" She asked quietly. Rotor nodded.

"He's been pacing in the control room all morning," Rotor told her. "I'm going to check in and suit up. I'll be at the third embassy with Big. Amy and Cream will be waiting for you at the first stop. Be careful."

"Of course," She told him. "Not just my life on the line. Thanks Rotor." Rotor nodded before pulling away from the plane and giving her the all clear signal. Miley returned it, and called back to Elias, "I'm sealing us in. There's an internal comm link if you need anything. Buckle up." Miley fired up the engines, letting the propeller spin for a minute before taking off, slowly in order to avoid startling the King too much.

"Very nice," Elias offered. "Anything I can do on the way there?"

"Not right now," Miley told him, letting the plane climb. "You have some different equipment in the back, so I might need you to let me know about the storms coming up but otherwise, you'll just need to confirm that we're arriving so the Freedom Fighters are waiting."

She didn't hear a response and assumed Elias nodded. "Do we have to fly through the storms?" He asked.

"Unfortunately. We'll have to if we're to make it to all the meetings we have to today," She told him. "I doubt that negotiating will be a quick matter, even during a war."

"No, it won't be," Elias said with a sigh. "Blasted bureaucracy. It has its uses, and does a good job making sure that everything is as fair as we can make it, but I find it takes too long."

"There's, always going to be a trade-off, I guess," Miley told him. "Better representation or quicker action? That's the choice you've got to make."

Elias didn't reply, so Miley didn't respond. The rest of the trip was mostly in silence, only a few comments traded between the king and his pilot. It wasn't until they were closing in on the embassy that she was able to muster up the courage to call headquarters. "Sonic?" She asked hesitantly.

There was a bit of static and silence before she heard him. "Everything ok Tails?" He asked her.

Miley held back a relieved sigh and replied. "Fine and dandy. We're approaching the Iron Kingdom. Anything I should know before I get there?"

"The Iron Kingdom?" Sonic clarified. "Yeah; don't go looking for a fight. You'll be dealing with the Iron King who is one hell of a powerhouse, and his Queen is a techno mage. The Iron Queen is an Overlander who used to work with Eggman until she got too ambitious for her own good."

"Eggman rejected her?" Miley asked, surprised.

"In a way." Sonic said grimly. "She tried to usurp him. That caught him by surprise, and she managed to break away and declared war on him. Then he nearly killed her and the Iron King, with a surprising amount of ease. They didn't even slow him down when he re-conquered the area. They ran and started over, allying with us." Sonic paused, his voice growing even grimmer as he continued, "They are powerful though so don't take them lightly. Amy and Cream will be waiting for you, so trust their judgement. They've both dealt with the Iron Kingdom before."

Miley nodded, then remembered that he couldn't see her and simply thanked him before closing the link. "Better be ready your Majesty. We'll be landing as soon as I check with the embassy that it's safe to land."

"Having doubts already?" Elias asked ruefully.

"Just being cautious. It's not just my life on the line," She said. Miley made brief radio contact with Amy and Cream before bringing the plane close to the landing strip. "Have you been here before your majesty?"

"Yes," He told her, a hint of bitterness in his voice. "The Iron Queen tried to use me as a hostage, back when I worked with the Freedom Fighters. I put up as much of a fight as I could but I needed Amy and Geoffrey to rescue me. Not the best experience."

Miley decided not to comment on that, instead telling him, "This trip will be different. And they need this alliance."

"Perhaps," Elias agreed. "But greed and ambition can be very convincing."

After a quick bit of confirmation, Miley eased the plane towards the landing strip, where she could see Amy and Cream waiting for them. She landed as smoothly as she could, taking a moment to shut down the plane. Elias started to open the protective glass over his seat but Miley slammed her hand on the override, keeping the seat covered. "Tails! What are you doing?" He demanded.

"My job," Miley responded. "Amy and Cream are a good distance away and can't help you if there is an ambush. This would be one of the best times to get you, because there is little that I can do if I'm in the plane and you're outside of it."

Elias muttered something under his breath but Miley ignored it. She finished shutting down the plane and setting up the defensive measures which would prevent any tampering with her plane. She got out of the plane, making sure her gun was in place and did a quick sweep of the area, checking around and under her plane. Only once she was sure that there wasn't anyone near did she let Elias out of the plane. She glanced at Amy and Cream, both of whom nodded in approval and came over to the two.

"Good afternoon your majesty. Tails," Amy gave the king a curtsey and Miley a quick nod. "Everything seems in order. The Iron Queen is waiting. The King is away on business and sends his apologies."

Elias nodded. "Where is he really?" He asked quietly.

Amy looked at Cream, who bowed her head to the king. "We're not quite sure, your majesty," She said quietly. Miley was surprised at how soft and high the little Rabbit Mobian's voice was. "We know that he isn't in the Iron Domain at this moment, and that he took half of the troops away. He isn't in any of the border Kingdoms, and it would be suicide for him to attack the Eggman Empire, even for him. We would assume he's looking through the Badlands for more livable land but that is only a guess."

Miley raised her eyebrows in surprise but Elias simply nodded. "Well, either way this is good news for us. I know the two of you can deal with the Iron Queen or King with ease, so only one does improve our level of safety immensely."

Amy nodded. "Now, your majesty, Cream will take you to meet with Cheese before escorting you in. The Iron Queen is rather fond of Cream right now, so the Queen won't have any problems with the two of them guarding you in the negotiations room. Miley and I will wait outside while I bring her up to speed." Amy turned, starting to walk away before adding And you might want to do a better job hiding your blades."

Elias grimaced and adjusted them again. "The blasted things keep sliding," He muttered. "I sat through the whole plane ride with them digging into my back, and for what?"

"It will be fine your majesty," Cream said soothingly. "The Queen has her staff, so she can hardly begrudge you two measly blades. She has nothing to fear from those with peaceful intentions. Now come along; the Queen's waiting for us with Cheese in the meeting room." Elias nodded, adjusting his weapons so that they were hidden as he followed the young Mobian.

Miley just stared at the young Freedom Fighter as they waked away. The Rabbit Mobian barely came up to her chest. Her long floppy ears looking almost comedic as the flopped to the rhythm of her gait and was so slight that Miley was certain she could have broken Cream with too tight of a hug. But for whatever reason, the young Mobian sent shivers up her spine when she gave her a look, as though this girl was forcing a look of innocence.

Amy looked at Miley and chuckled. "Bit scary isn't it?" She asked. "This is your first time with Cream in the field?"

Miley glanced at the pink Hedgehog Mobian with a nod. "What was that?" She asked quietly. "It's like, she feels different than she really is. Like she's darker than she really is."

"You caught on quicker than most," Amy told her. "Cream really is as innocent as she seems, but when she's out on a mission like this, she makes herself seem harmless, small and pleasant. She's got enough etiquette to fit in with almost any royalty, she can fly very quickly for short distances and is one of the best shots that I've seen out of the military snipers. And Cheese acts like her bodyguard."

"Is everyone in the Freedom Fighters this dangerous?" She asked, shocked.

"Everyone's dangerous Tails," Amy told her. "Take me for instance. How old do you think I am?"

Miley looked the Hedgehog girl over for a moment, taking in the girl's physique before guessing, "Sixteen? Maybe?"

Amy chuckled. "That's a normal guess. I turn ten next week."

That stopped Miley in her tracks. Amy laughed. "You're not the first to do that. I used a bit of Chaos Magic to age myself so that I could join Sonic in the Freedom Fighters. I was eight at the time and ended up to around fifteen. Gave my some other powers too."

That matched what she remembered for Amy's field file but she hadn't heard about the other matters. "Like your hammer?" She asked quietly.

Amy nodded. "It's not a secret here; I went toe-to-toe with the Iron King because of it. I'm stronger than most of the Freedom Fighters now, and my hammer neutralises most of the other powers out there. That's why I'm one of the escorts here. If the Iron Queen tries anything fishy I can cancel out her powers. So can Cheese."

"So I've heard," Miley said, swallowing heavily. Why was she here? The Fighters seemed to have so many powerful beings that she wasn't really needed.

"Well, we'd better get going. Anything you'd like to note before we go?" Amy asked her, looking almost curiously at Miley.

Miley glanced around, taking in the landscape around her. "Does the local foliage often grow in that pattern?" She asked quietly, staring at the odd shape of the trees above them.

Amy frowned and looked up. "No," She responded, her voice dropping in volume as well. "It doesn't. Maybe we should hurry and catch up with Elias."

Miley nodded, her hand sliding towards her weapon. "Don't," Amy warned. "If these guys are friendlies, they might do something stupid of they see a weapon. If they aren't, assume that there're ten more hidden for every one that you see."

Miley hesitated, but nodded and casually pulled her gun. She checked it and slid it back into its harness. Amy nodded almost imperceptibly as she took a few casual steps away from Miley. Her hands hung loosely at her sides but her hands tightened around an unseen handle. Miley swallowed nervously as she recognized the stance. Amy was getting ready for a fight.

Miley felt herself tense and mentally chided herself. "Don't tense up," She told herself. "You're ready for this." She forced her shoulders to relax but tension continued to gnaw at her. She was getting scared and it _really_ wasn't helping.

A sudden sharp _crack_ echoed above her. She glanced back at Amy, who froze at the sound. Miley stopped too, her hand brushing her holster and freeing her pistol from the catch. Slowly she looked up.

As if on cue, more than a dozen hooded figures dropped down from the treetops. Miley instinctively dove to the side as one robed figure landed in front of her, sword drawn and slashing at her. Her gun was out and the laser blast caught hit her first attacker before she came to her feet.

The hooded figures, realising their ambush had failed, changed tactics and all charged at once, blades poised above their heads. Miley realised in an instant that she didn't have enough to time to shoot the hoard charging her. Instead she spun around sharply, angling her tails as she did. The hard muscles slammed into heads and knees as she spun, knocking the attackers away. She let training take over, sweeping her hands to different vulnerable points, striking quickly as her enemies surrounded her. She didn't feel her gun in her hand but that wasn't the first priority. Right now, she needed to get rid of the enemy.

To that end, Miley continued to fight registering how many hits she was taking but not allowing them to slow her down. Fewer and fewer attacks seemed to come, until she suddenly realised that the robed figures were almost all lying in the dirt. She knocked the last one away and looked around, searching for any sort of movement.

Something caught her attention, a sudden spot of movement out of the corner of her eyes. She spun, drawing the gun that she didn't remember picking up and pointed-

-into a calm Amy's face.

Amy stared down the barrel; her eyebrows raised and hammer over her shoulder. "That's hardly a friendly gesture." She told Miley calmly. "There are a few more of those guys heading this way. You're a flyer; Cream and Elias need back-up. You need to move there. Now."

Miley lowering the gun, her hands starting to shake. "But what about you?" She asked, her head swimming as she glanced around at the bodies surrounding her in horror. There was almost a circle of bodies around Amy, with more the triple body count when compared to Miley's victims.

Amy grinned and hefted her mallet. "I can handle them," She said, a bit of feral glee in her voice. Miley nodded once, still hesitant before taking off. She glanced back worriedly, only to see Amy throw her mallet at the approaching hoard. Miley's eyes widened at the sheer number of attackers, and her shock didn't decrease when Amy summoned another hammer, which conjured itself with an audible _Piko_ into her hand. Gun still in hand, Miley fired a few shots at the Amy's attackers while dodging the returned fire. She flew as fast as she could manage towards the embassy, despite the lack of a noticeable battle.

Miley landed outside of the embassy and instinctively reached for the handle. Her fingers were only a few inches from the door before she remembered the safety features and yanked her arm away. "Easy Miley," She warned herself. "You don't want to get electrocuted. Or blown up."

Taking a few steps back, Miley lowered the power setting on her gun and fired a test shot at the door. The burst hit the door and sent sparks everywhere. Miley grimaced and scanned the building for windows. Seeing none, she scowled and flicked the power setting on her gun again. Raising an arm to shield her face, she pointed the gun at the door hinges and started trying to melt her way through.

It took far longer than she hoped and she was too impatient for her own good as she kicked the door in before the hole was fully melted. Electricity slammed through her system, which she took with a grimace and ignored the burnt smell that followed. Luckily for her, no one had primed the explosives on the hinges, otherwise she would have set those off too. Miley glanced inside cautiously before dashing inside, her gun ready as she headed for the main room.

She found a few guards waiting for her, armed with guns rather than swords or clubs but she shot them as soon she could see them. She didn't go for the doors, instead taking to the ceiling and shot off a ventilation cover. She squeezed into the ventilation shaft, grunting a bit at the tight fit. "I've got to stop having lunch with Rotor," She muttered to herself as she shimmied through. "Or at least remember that he's a foot taller than me and a Walrus and shouldn't be used to justify a bigger lunch."

She pushed those thoughts from her mind as she forced her way through the vent. That was just her brain having a mild panic attack and she couldn't afford that. She pushed herself down through the vent, coming to the cover and peering into the main room. She felt a jolt of fear shoot through her when she couldn't see anyone in the room, which wasn't calmed when a stray bullet imbedded itself into the vent cover.

Miley bit her tongue, tasting blood but she managed to keep from crying out in surprise. She cautiously moved towards the vent cover, catching sight of a brown blur flying past. She saw Cream hover in place for a moment, flicking down her wrists and releasing loud cracks followed by a cry of pain. Laser fire followed as Cream flew across the room to dodge.

More laser fire followed, one of the bursts hitting the vent cover. She had to move, and if she waited much longer Cream might be hit or worse. Miley pulled out her gun and fired at the edge of the vent cover.

The cover gave a tiny groan as the metal heated up, ripping away from the bolts holding it up. Before she could catch it, it dropped to the floor with an earthshattering _clang_. Miley grimaced at the lack of subtly in her entrance and pushed her way out before the enemy could focus on her. She slid out of the vent, letting herself fall out and started spinning her tails to slow her descent. She landed and started running across the room, trying to take in her enemies' positions as she moved.

She took shelter behind a pillar and was given a sudden barrage of bullets for her trouble. Cream landed beside her, sweating and blinking at her. "What are you doing here?" She asked panting.

"Lending you a hand. Where's Elias?" Miley asked, peeking out behind the pillar. She saw no sign of her enemies but she let off a few stray bursts to keep them hiding.

"On the other side of the room. The Iron Queen's down and he's standing guard," Cream answered, a touch of a whimper joining her pant. Miley noted this, as well as Cream favoring her right arm. Never the less, Cream fired off a shot around the pillar before asking, "Where's Amy?"

"Keeping the rest of these guys busy outside," Miley answered. "They didn't have as many guns though."

"Not our concern," Cream told her, finally catching her breathe. "Do you have a plan?"

"We need to get Elias out of here. They can't hurt the Tornado." Miley told her.

"And the negotiations?" Cream asked. "We still need the alliance."

"We were attacked during a neutral meeting, in which we placed our trust in the Iron Kingdom to keep us safe," Miley reminded her, peering around the pillar. "I doubt that they will forget this. And they need the alliance more than we do. We just need neutrality from the Iron Kingdom; they need our military support."

Cream nodded. "Ok. Plan?" She asked again.

Miley shot her eyes around the room, looking for any escape path. "Elias won't fit through the vent and even if he could we couldn't get him in without being shot," She muttered. "Are the doors locked down?"

"No. We didn't get a chance. They keyed it to the Queen and she was the first one attacked." Cream answered.

"Then we do it the easy way. We go through the front door," Miley told Cream grimly. "Do you have enough ammo to provide air support again?" Cream nodded. "Ok. Where's Cheese?"

Cream grinned. "In the hallway," She said sweetly. "He decided he wanted to play. They screamed for a minute before running away."

Miley stared at Cream for a moment, the girl's words sending a shiver up her spine. "Ok, then it's just you and me. We'll fly up, I grab Elias with you providing cover and we get out of here."

Cream nodded. "Just let me know when," She said quietly. Miley nodded and peered out. She raised her hand in warning and Cream tensed behind her. Miley brought her arm down and the two took off.

Miley went first, shooting off a few wide spread bursts that didn't seem to connect with anyone before flying in a wide arc to draw fire. Cream followed behind her, picking off assailants as they poked their heads out to shoot at Miley. As soon as Cream started shooting, Miley's attention shifted away from the fight as she flew, almost straight towards where Elias was hidden behind the overturned tables.

Elias greeted her with a swing of his blade at her head. Miley ducked and waited for Elias to notice that he was attacking his escort. Elias did, giving her a startled look as he halted his fourth swing inches from her face. "Tails?" He asked, surprised. "What are you doing?"

"My job," She said firmly. "Your Majesty we need to leave. I believe that the negotiations are scrapped at this point."

Elias nodded. Miley started to pull him away but Elias stopped her. "We can't leave the Queen," He told her firmly, indicating the prone figure behind him. "It will cause more problems than we can afford to deal with."

Miley gritted her teeth. "With all due respect your Majesty, I don't know how I'm getting you out alive right now," She told him grimly, forcing her voice to be firm. "If I was to carry the Queen out of here, I wouldn't be able to protect you, and we are massively outnumbered."

Elias scowled at her. "Agent Tails," He told her firmly, "We are taking the Queen with us or I am not leaving. I will carry her as it is necessary, but she is coming with us."

Miley grimaced. He'd made the ultimatum and she couldn't call his bluff. Elias wasn't bluffing. He would remain here and die rather than abandon the Queen while she was helpless. Miley looked up but couldn't see Cream anywhere. She was on her own. "Fine," She managed, biting back any other comment. "Grab her and let's go. Cream can't provide us with support for much longer. We move on my mark."

Elias nodded, putting his blades away and heaving the Overlander woman over his shoulder in a fireman carry. Miley peeked out from behind the crude shelter and nodded to Elias. "Now," She told him.

The two took off, Miley in the lead with Elias struggling to keep up. Miley fired shots behind them, trying to provide the cover for Elias but they were too open. "Cream where are you?" She shouted.

The rabbit girl flew out from her hiding spot in the rafters, dropping beside Miley at a run. "I'm out of shots," She told Miley anxiously. "Cheese isn't back yet."

Miley didn't hesitate, handing her pistol over. "Cover us from behind. I'm getting Elias out of here. Close the door behind us." Cream nodded, not questioning as she took off. Elias didn't say anything either but Miley suspected that it was more he was out of breathe than he had nothing to say. The Iron Queen was slight but she was double Elias' height and weight and the king was obviously struggling.

A vindictive part of Miley's brain laughed at Elias' struggle but the majority of her brain was more concerned with getting him out alive, despite him deciding to chivalrously go out in a blaze of glory. She slowed her pace slightly, letting Elias keep up but still pressing forward all the same. She didn't know how but they were at the door, alive and mostly intact. Cream was nowhere in sight but right now it wasn't her problem; Miley forced the doors open and checked the hallway. Seeing it empty, she grabbed Elias and pulled him to the safety of the open space. She turned back towards the doors and yelled for Cream to hurry.

She heard a noise behind her and spun around in time to get a sword pommel to the face. She fell back, holding her nose and struggling to see past the new pain forming. She squinted, trying to make out shapes but she could see something moving towards Elias.

Half blind she stumbled forward, her brain filling in the blanks caused by her lack of sight. This was either an assassin or a guard, attacking Elias because he had the Queen with him. He couldn't defend himself with an Overlander keeping both his arms busy, and he couldn't drop her in time to save himself. The assailant thought Miley was out of the way and was moving to strike Elias.

Miley's vision cleared a bit, too slowly for her liking but she saw the assailant moving, the sword coming up and Elias stumbling backwards, refusing to let go of the Iron Queen and save himself. He was willing to be cut down to avoid giving in. Miley forced herself to move faster, watching as the sword swung towards Elias, missing only by inches and coming back up for a return strike.

Steel flashed, and then sang as it struck flesh and bone. There was a wet sound as blood sprayed and hit the walls and a hiss of breathe being sharply drawn. "Miley?" Elias asked, hesitantly.

Miley blinked for a moment, surprised to find herself where she was. Her arms were on fire, and they were wet. Across from her was a hooded Mobian, who met her with the same look of shock as she felt. She looked down and saw her arms, soaked in blood that ran from two massive gashes and a sword stuck between them.

Her attacker let go of the sword, staring at Miley in fear. She shook her head, a feeling of light-headedness coming over her but she forced her crossed arms apart as the sword clanged onto the ground. Before the attacker could move, Miley spun swiftly, slamming her tails in her attacker's head and knocking him flying. Miley didn't move after that, watching the immobile figure to make sure that he wasn't getting back up.

Breathing heavily, Miley turned around to face Elias. Before she could speak, she watched the Overlander's eyes start to flutter and before she could warn Elias, he was suddenly knocked flying across the room.

The Iron Queen let out a cry as she rolled off Elias' shoulder and fell to the ground. The King of Acorns didn't have any warning and slammed into the wall, groaning as he did so. The Queen stood uneasily, drawing herself to her full height and glaring down at Miley and Elias. "What do you think you're doing?" She snapped at them. Her eyes were slowly starting to glow white and the embassy walls started to shake. "How dare you attack me during the negotiations!"

Elias wasn't responding, and Miley was short on air and starting to get dizzy. "Your majesty, we did no such-" She started before she was suddenly lifted into the air and slammed against the wall, grabbed by wires that once lined the embassy walls that were now moving in accordance to the Queen's will.

"I was not speaking to you, rabble," The Queen snarled. "You may have won when my guard was down but I will not be betrayed again." She turned to Elias, who slowly shook his head as he warily watched the Iron Queen stalk towards him. She raised her arm and the wall behind Elias gave a shake, as the wires were about to burst forth. "This ends now, traitor!" She yelled.

The Queen suddenly stumbled, and Miley caught a small blue blur slam into her shoulder. The wires that held Miley went limp, dropping her unceremoniously on the ground. The wall stopped shaking and even when the Queen raised her arm, they didn't move again. "How-?" She asked, in shock.

"Your majesty, I must ask that you step away from my King and comrade," came a quiet but clear voice. Cream stepped into view, her dress and face filthy but otherwise unharmed. "Otherwise, Cheese and I will be forced to intervene."

Miley glanced at the small blue figure floating over Cream's shoulder. The entity was a light blue, with a teardrop shaped head and the rest of his body composed of round shapes looking stuck together. His body a sphere and his arms and legs looked like thin cylinders with round ends where hands and feet should be. He looked ridiculous, to the point of being cute. But he had managed to instil complete fear into the Iron Queen despite the massive power that she radiated. Miley swallowed heavily as she struggled to her feet, watching the exchange in awe.

Cream walked forward slowly, bowing once to the Queen. "My deepest apologies for my actions but you were refusing to stop," Cream told her calmly. "You were targeted by the resisting militia who had discovered you were arriving alone to the embassy and we had withdrawn our own guards as a gesture of peace. Your husband is on his way, having completed his mission of destroying their base and will deal with the rest that have escaped. If it would please your majesties, I would advise both of you getting examined by a doctor and continuing the negotiations."

The Iron Queen stared at the small Rabbit girl before shaking her head. "Who are you?" She asked, sounding confused.

Cream curtsied and dirt fell away from her dress. "Cream, member of the Freedom Fighters. This is my partner, Cheese," She indicated to the Chao. "Now your majesty, perhaps we can find you and my companions some medical attention?"

"I-yes that would be a good idea," The Queen managed, shaking her head fiercely. "I apologies. And the negotiations are fine. We don't need a new treaty. We never did, save that King Elias needed to sign a copy of the old one. I'll send someone up right away to show him the treaty."

"That would be excellent. Perhaps you could show me the way, your Majesty?" Cream asked, offering the Queen her hand. The Queen took it hesitantly and led Cream away from the two.

Miley stared in shock, and tried to follow but nearly collapsed instead. Elias caught her, steadying her. "Easy there Tails," He told her. "We're ok for now. We'll follow once Cheese comes back for us."

"What just happened?" Miley asked, her throat tight and her whole body shaking. "She was going to kill us."

"Probably. But Cream and Cheese are very dangerous in their own right. I wouldn't send Cream into open combat because she isn't able to handle that much fighting. I'm surprised she kept her head long enough to provide cover fire for you. But she seems to charm people into liking her, even the so-called heartless Iron Queen."

"But the dirt just fell off of her," Miley muttered.

Elias shrugged. "I don't understand it either but I won't look a gift horse in the mouth," He told her. "Now, you need to hold still and wait for Cream to look at those wounds. Sit down; you've lost so much blood I'm surprised you can stand."

Miley looked down at herself with a bit of surprise. She was bleeding; mostly from what felt like small cuts but she was coated in blood from sliding through the vents. Her arms were dripping blood from the gashes from the sword. She did as Elias suggested, leaning against the wall and sliding down until she was sitting. Elias stood over her, a blade in each hand and poised to strike. What surprised them was when Amy came to see them, not Cheese.

"Things seem to going smoothly now your Highness but I pulled rank and made sure Cream wasn't alone with the Queen," Amy said, almost apologetically. "Besides, I didn't think that Tails could walk and Cheese can't carry her."

"I would have been fine to," Elias told her.

"Not as the King you wouldn't be. That would have raised eyebrows and questions we can't afford with the Queen. Neither the one here nor the one at home would like to hear about that," Amy told him. Elias grimaced. Amy turned to Miley with a shake of her head. "How did you get so damaged?" She asked her.

"Probably those things called swords that were being swung at me for hours. I guess I didn't dodge them all." Miley answered, feeling slightly numb and calm.

Amy walked over and grabbed the Fox girl by the wrist, pulling her to her feet. "Better work on that one. Won't due for you to keep being injured, especially not when we've only been fighting for about twenty minutes. Now, let's get you to a healer."

Miley started to say something, unsure of whether to protest or try and make it on her own but as she tried to remain standing, her head swam and her legs wouldn't respond. She heard Elias cry out and Amy's voice bark a command before everything sank into darkness.

(Sonic's POV)

He wasn't being paranoid. He couldn't be paranoid. And why the hell was everyone staring at him?

To be fair, "everyone" consisted of Sally, Nicole and the two directors of the Secret Services; Harvey Who and Geoffry St. John. Harvey Who was the Senior Director, an old Owl Mobian who had served behind the scenes, protecting both Elias in his time ruling, as well as his father Max before him. Tall and broad, he was an imposing figure, with large eyes that gave nothing away but took everything in.

Geoffry St. John was a different story. Harvey was large and imposing; Geoffry was average height and subtle. As a Skunk Mobian, he was nothing out of the ordinary and most wouldn't look twice but that was what made him good at what he was. Geoffry was the best spy in the kingdom, able to infiltrate almost any area and strip it clean of information, as well as take down almost any foreign foe in a straight fight.

Right now the directors both seemed to feel Sonic was a threat because Geoffry had loaded the crossbow on his arm and Who was stepping back behind Nicole and Sally. "Sonic," Who called over. "Perhaps it would help calm you down if you didn't pace and mutter threats."

Sonic stopped and looked at the old Bird Mobian. Director Who just looked back at him calmly, despite the tension in the room. "I understand that you are worried Sonic but pacing and getting angry will not help. I am concerned about my King's safety and if it is threatened, we do need you in top form."

Sonic glared at him, feeling his anger building towards the Director, before catching himself. Who was speaking the truth, such as it was, and he didn't have the right to get angry at him. He forced himself to stand still and looked away from the group, refusing to speak.

"Nicole, has there been any word from the Iron Kingdom Embassy?" Sally asked.

Nicole disappeared from view before materialising back into the command centre. "No," She said, shaking her head. "There has been no contact since they have landed. None of the Freedom Fighters have reported since before Tail's landed. They are many hours past report time."

Sally grimaced. "Try paging them. I don't want there to be any problems in the Kingdom." She turned to Who and Geoffry. "What about you two? Any information that you should share with us about the Iron Kingdom or its monarchs?"

Geoffry looked at Harvey, who nodded. "Nothing solid but I had heard rumors of civil unrest. Nothing out of the ordinary though; people have been chaffing under their rule for years."

"I hear a "but" there," Sonic growled.

Harvey gave him a look. "Think Sonic. If the people are unhappy with their rulers, and they happen to know that their rulers will be in an isolated, unsecure area, what thoughts do you think will pop into their heads?"

Sally grimaced. "Nicole, keep paging them. I don't like this silence. Is there any response from the Tornado?"

"None," Nicole said grimly. "Not a peep from anyone inside or outside it. The beacon hasn't be activated, but I am sensing that it is lockdown."

Sonic's head snapped towards her. "Lockdown?" He asked sharply. Nicole stared at him for a moment before nodding.

Sonic turned to Sally. "You know what this means?" Sally just looked at him blankly. "Sally, Miley built that plane from the ground up. One of the features she was proud of was the lockdown function. Her plane goes on auto-defend and plates itself with armour. It is a last-ditch effort to keep the transport safe while grounded. She wouldn't activate it unless there was danger."

"But what level of danger?" Geoffry asked. "This is Miley's first mission. She may be overreacting to a simple disturbance."

Sonic turned to him with a snarl. "Can you afford to take that chance, with your King on the line?" He growled.

"Can we afford not to?" Geoffry snapped back. "This isn't a game Sonic. Elias can no more afford another war than he can afford being assassinated. Your little Fox is not worth risking another war!"

Sonic froze in place and then very slowly turned to face Geoffry. The Skunk Mobian met the Hedgehog's eyes and swallowed, suddenly looking very afraid. Sonic stared him down for a moment, feeling his anger flare back up. "What was that?" Sonic's voice turned cold.

Geoffry didn't answer, only moved himself into a fighting stance as inconspicuously as he possibly could. Sonic felt his eyes narrow and his ears pop. "You don't want to try that Geoffry," He warned, his voice tight. "We both know what will happen if you attack me."

"Sonic!" Sally's voice snapped. "Get yourself under control."

"I am completely in control," Sonic growled.

"Then why is my desk shaking? Why are my ears popping?" Sally asked him, her voice firm. "You will control yourself now Mr. Hedgehog or you are suspended from your duties."

Sonic stared at her for a moment in surprise. "Did you just pull rank on me?" He asked incredulously.

"Damn right I did," Sally told him. "I am in charge of the Freedom Fighters Sonic. You will stand down now, or you go through me."

He didn't move. He wouldn't move. Sally was making a direct challenge for him, daring him to go through her and he mustn't do that. He wasn't going to betray his kingdom on a whim. Sonic took a long, slow breath and looked Sally in the eye. "I await your command, ma'am." He told her coldly. "I am on call until you order me."

Sally nodded sharply, and turned to Nicole. "Nicole, see that you open a channel with the Iron Domain themselves. They at least should respond and maybe then we will know what is going on."

"Actually Sally, I'm detecting a call from them now. It seems the Iron Domain has been trying to contact us themselves for quite some time but the signal has only been brought to my attention now." Nicole told her.

Sally nodded and turned on the main communication screen. As it started up Amy's head popped up on the screen, most of her pink hair cropped from the small screen frame. "Finally. Do you know how hard it is to get a hold of you guys?" The Hedgehog girl demanded.

Sally didn't bat an eye. "Agent Rose, report." She ordered Amy.

"Hello to you too Sally," Amy replied sarcastically. "Everything is under control now. The Iron Domain was facing some internal problems as we thought and they attacked our embassy. The Iron King is dealing with the rebels now and the Iron Queen is providing some medical care for Agent Prower."

Sonic stiffened. "What happened?" He demanded, turning to face the screen, his face contorted.

"She's fine Sonic. She passed out from shock and blood loss. She took a cut across her arms saving the King from an attack but Cream stabilised her and she's been given a transfusion. She'll be up on her feet in no time." Amy grinned. "She shocked me. For a first-timer, she did really well. She had quite the body count behind her and she kept her head, directing Cream and Elias while under fire."

Sally nodded. "Good to hear. You can tell me more in the official report. You better get back to your post." Amy nodded in response and shut off the screen.

Sonic stared at the screen for a moment, before letting out a long, slow breath. Miley was fine. She was alive, and had done well. Sally looked at him for a moment, before turning to Geoffry. "I believe you underestimated our agent, St. John." She said calmly. "Perhaps you shall consider this a reminder that the Freedom Fighters are not amateurs for you to look down upon."

Geoffry swallowed and nodded. "My apologies Princess," He told her. "I meant no insult with my statement. I thought I was being prudent, not rude, in my distrust in your agent. I will try to keep from repeating the error."

"See that you do," Sally told him. "Sonic. I suggest that you go make contact with Bunnie and Antoine. Let them know that Elias will be delayed, but we don't know by how long."

Sonic stared for a moment, before shaking his head to clear it. "Right away Sal," He said as normally as possible. "Should I let Doctor Quack know about Miley?"

Sally shook her head. "If she's being treated there, she should be fine. He can check up on her when she returns. Now go on; do your job and get back to waiting on stand-by in case she needs you for real."

(Miley's POV)

Miley was getting really tired of flying.

She and Elias were on their way to the last country, the Dragon Kingdom, after spending nearly three weeks negotiating with various nations. It had been a long mission, with her having to stand guard during negotiations and her flying Elias in between. She was glad Rotor had programmed in an auto-pilot because she was certain that she only got sleep in the air.

Elias, who had really warmed up to Miley's company, seemed to notice the change. "This is the last stop and then we can go home," He told her. "This should be a quick stop too. The Dragon Kingdom likes to keep to itself and we've had long standing peace with them for years. They haven't had much trouble with Eggman and they don't want it."

"I can understand that. Nobody in their right mind is going to take him lightly." Miley responded calmly. She looked around as she flew, suddenly distracted by a sudden trill from her sensors.

She felt her blood run cold as she read the results. "Elias, where did you say the Dragon Kingdom was?" She asked worriedly.

"To the north-east of here," Elias replied. "Why?"

"We've got company," Miley told him. "If you're not already, strap in and get ready for evasive action. We've got hostile aircraft flying in towards us."

"Aircraft? That doesn't make sense. The only ones who fly in the Dragon Kingdom are natural flyers. They aren't a huge fan of technology," Elias told her. "Even their leaders only use dirigibles to get to neutral locations in the mountains."

"Well, something is flying towards us and it isn't a fleet of dirigibles." Miley told him, activating the comm system and the weapons system. "Elias I need you to take up the rear gun. I don't want to be relying on the auto-defenses." Elias didn't reply but she heard the back turrets activating.

Miley opened a comm channel, sending out her practiced greeting. "This is Agent Prower of the Acorn Kingdom requesting peaceful transit through your airspace."

There was a brief burst of static by a low robotic voice. "Request denied. You will land and surrender yourself and your craft."

"I repeat, we are requesting peaceful transit through your airspace. This is a diplomatic mission." Miley told the speaker. She sent a short text message that would appear on Elias' screen warning him to ready for an attack.

There was a similar crackle of static and the response made her blood run cold. "Negative. You will land and surrender or be destroyed in the name of the Eggman Empire."

(Eggman's POV)

Eggman chuckled from his hiding spot. "How predictable," He said to himself softly. "They flew here, just like they should."

Everything was working out like it should. Whoever this Agent Prower was, she was guarding the blasted King of the Acorns. Not only was he in charge of the major kingdom rebelling against his rule but he was one of the few the Sonic was willing to risk himself to protect.

A savage grin crossed his face. This was too easy. The A.I. who had plagued him in his earlier battles against Sonic would know that he, Eggman, was listening in to all communications between this Agent Prower and the Freedom Fighters, and would alert Sonic right away. Sonic would then run off to save the day, with the A.I. giving him the shortest path to this zone.

Where he was ready. He had calculated every variable, determined exactly what would happen. Sonic would run, gung-ho to take out Eggman once and for all, and run straight into his trap.

It would work. There were no alternatives. In this formula, the chaos was the constant, and this time Eggman would deal with the chaos once and for all.

"Come little Hedgehog," Eggman told him. "Let's play the game."

(Miley's POV)

"Sally, I can't pull out right now," Miley insisted, throwing the plane into a spin as she dodged more laser bursts and returned fire. "Elias is with me."

"That's why you have to retreat!" Sally ordered. "Elias is in danger."

"And he'll be dead if I try and fly away right now," Miley snapped. "Sally, he's in the back portion of the plane. If I run, he gets shot because they concentrate fire on the back of the plane. Tell me where that leaves us."

"Damn it Miley!" Sally snarled. "I don't want you or my brother killed!"

"I'm currently voting for that option too," Miley told her dryly. "But right now, my only safe option is to engage the enemy."

Sally scowled. "Sonic's on his way," She told her. "Hold out until he gets there and can cover your escape."

Miley grunted in response as she spun around, before launching into a barrel roll. "How are you doing Elias?" She called over the mikes.

"About as well can be expected. I'm not as accurate as I'd like right now," He told her.

"Don't worry about the other fighters; just concentrate on shooting down any missiles they send after us. I wasn't expecting a full squadron like that coming after us and I don't have a lot of flares." Miley warned him. "I'm going to start firing on them so be ready."

Elias didn't reply but he stopped shooting. Miley banked hard, twisting the plane and firing off one of the few missiles she was carrying. It found its target and she started the dog fight right there.

The Tornado did its job beautifully. Outnumbered and outgunned, it flew cleanly between the other fighters, took a fair number of hits and still took down many fighters. Miley was really happy with her progress. There had been at least a dozen planes there before and there were less than half chasing after her now. It thrilled her to be doing this, to be taking down so many enemies. She was unstoppable.

Elias made a hoarse sound from behind her. "Miley, what are you doing?"

"Keeping us alive." She replied with a bloodthirsty grin forming. What was so scary about Eggman? His planes were nothing compared to hers.

"They're firing on us again. This time with missiles." Elias warned her.

"I'm taking evasive action. How are we for flares?" She asked.

"Out. And the back turrets are short on ammo," He warned her.

Miley pondered for a moment and grinned. "Ok, hold on tight. Try and take a few missiles out but mostly hang on," She turned the plan sharply and flew towards the missiles.

Elias screamed, much to her surprise but she chose to ignore it. She flew past the missiles before they could lock on her and started right for the enemy ships.

They fired on her but it was almost reaction shooting, like the pilots didn't expect her to fly at them. She dove and spun among the fighters and let them take their own missiles while the Tornado made it through mostly unharmed. "There we go. That's all taken care of." Miley told Elias cheerfully.

"Miley, don't you dare do that again," Elias told her, his voice tight and shaking. "That was risky. We could have been killed. And why did you have to take so many out? Sonic's on his way."

"I dealt with them so he didn't have to," She said.

"Miley there are more coming!" Elias told her anxiously. "We need to leave now!"

"More?" She asked, shocked.

"More. Sonic's almost here and the planes are pulling away from us," Elias told her frantically. "We have to go now!"

"Pulling away," Miley muttered to herself. She pulled out a pair of binoculars from her travel kit and scanned the ground, hoping to catch a glimpse of Sonic and instead finding something much worse.

She saw a glint of metal reflecting back at her, and when she flew in closer, she saw the entire road was covered in thin strands of wire, all draped tightly across the road and nearly impossible to see. "No!" She managed. "This is a trap!"

"What? What are you talking about?" Elias asked her.

Miley ignored him. "Sally? Do you read me?" She yelled into the mike. All she got back was static. Miley started undoing her restraints. "Your Majesty, I'm afraid this is where we part ways."

"Miley? What are you doing?" He demanded.

"My job," Miley snapped at him. "Sonic can't deal with all these planes and Eggman himself is here. You are to fly the Tornado to the Dragon Kingdom where there are other Freedom Fighters waiting for you while I help Sonic hold them off."

"What can you do that he can't?" Elias demanded.

"Right now? Fly!" Miley told him sharply. "I can fly without this plane. Now get ready to take the controls and get out of here."

Before Elias could protest more, she disengaged her flight controls and popped off the top of her seat. "Go. Now!" Miley ordered him as she jumped out of the plane.

Her tails started spinning immediately, maintaining her height as she flew towards the enemy planes. As she figured, they didn't react to her presence because she wasn't important anymore. "This is all just a trap for Sonic," She rationalised as she approached the first plane. "Even attacking Elias. Eggman didn't expect or care about us getting away."

She also realised what the new planes were for. These were to keep Sonic busy on the ground while he ran head-first into the wire. Miley was certain she knew what it was for. If Sonic hit that at full speed, he might as well of been put through a wood chipper.

She couldn't let that happen. She landed on one of the plane's wings and peered inside, looking for a pilot to take out. To her surprise, there was nothing there. No pilot, no command centre. It was just one big computer.

A nasty grin came over Miley. Well that was perfect. She reached down to her boot and grabbed out one of the heels, pulling out the EMP grenade. She gently took off from the plane, not fully knowing what it was prepared to react to, and flew to the centre of the formation, sticking the first EMP on it before flying over to the others. She latched the second EMP onto another plane on the outside of the formation before flying what she hoped was a safe distance away.

There was a brief pause before the EMP went off, which sent the planes spinning out of control into each other. The planes crashed into each other, the explosions sending Miley spinning out of control despite being a good distance away. When she finally managed to get herself back under control, she let out a dark laugh at the sign of wreckage behind her. None of the planes were left in the air; all that remained was a pile of burning metal.

"What do you think you're doing?" Snapped a voice from behind her.

Miley spun around, startled as she whipped her gun out of its holster. She couldn't find the source of the voice but she replied anyway. "Who are you?"

"Meddlesome animal." The voice snorted and Miley nearly fell out of the sky in shock. Eggman! He was talking to her, or at least his voice was being projected towards her by some sort of speaker. "What was the meaning of destroying my planes? They left you alone."

"You were going to attack Sonic with them," Miley shot back, although the effect was lost with her quavering voice.

"Of course I was. Why else would they be positioned over the path he was going to take?" Eggman asked her. "Now go on. You aren't important right now. Go keep your king safe."

"Where are you, you coward? Why won't you face me?" Miley demanded, trying to keep the fear out of her voice.

"I'm right here," He told her, this time in his own voice. Miley spun around once again, getting tired of constantly being snuck up on and started shooting at him.

Eggman didn't react with more than a sigh as the laser bursts bounced away from him. He looked her in the eye, and she was close enough to see individual hairs on his mustache. "Really? So rude and chaotic. A simple magnetic field renders your laser useless. You Mobians really need to learn about such things."

"And if we did? Like if we shot at you with bullets, since lead isn't magnetic?" Miley snapped, firing the gun again.

Eggman just shook his head as the bullet struck the near transparent plastic dome around him. "Really now, this is designed to resist Sonic. I see you have a basic understanding of science since you built that odd plane so you can regale me; how does a bullet do damage to a target?"

Miley stared at him, shocked. Was he a killer or a science teacher? "By transferring the momentum it has instantaneously over the small area it strikes," Miley responded, the answer coming out reflexively, almost against her will. "The bullet's mass is accelerated to a high velocity, thus creating an initial momentum, which is mass multiplied by velocity. Aside from the friction with the air, it then hits a target with the initial force transferring onto a target in a split second. The velocity moving the mass is then transferred into forced applied over the time of impact, so the smaller the impact time, the greater the force from the momentum is."

"Very good," Eggman told her, clapping quietly. "Full marks. Now think on this; my dome is designed to resist Sonic crashing into it. Oh it can't take many hits but it will resist him for the first three to four blows. Now think of his mass and how fast he moves. At the very least, he's moving at the speed of sound and that much speed, times his body mass, striking something and all the force hitting in a split second? How could a bullet possibly damage that?"

Miley stared at him for a moment. "Why are you trying to kill him?" She asked, honestly curious. "You don't seem like a killer."

"My dear I'm not. I'm simply applying Order to Chaos. But I fear our time has run out." He told her. Miley suddenly saw him float away from her, and saw the first time what he was using. It was a simple egg-shaped carrier, designed to completely encase one passenger. She watched the side of it open up and extend an arm towards her.

Miley's breathe caught in her throat as the arm reached up but it only grabbed her gun, crushing it and throwing it away. "There. The pawn has been taken. Now go. I'm a very busy man and can't afford to play with you any longer."

Miley looked down and saw a dust cloud moving towards them and recognised it to be Sonic, speeding to save her. Miley turned to face Eggman. "You don't have your fleet anymore. What are you going to do?"

"Silly child. That was no fleet; that was a paltry show so that Sonic would think that king of yours was in danger." Eggman suddenly stopped and shook his head. "Never mind. I'm not wasting time with a worthless pawn, explaining my schemes to you. Get out of my way," He ordered her, and the robotic arm smacked her away when she didn't move.

Miley spun out of control for a moment as that arm sent her flying and knocked the wind out of her. But she still flew and took a moment to get her breath back. "I'm not hurt," She realised to herself. She could feel where the arm had hit her and it hurt, but it hadn't caused her much injury.

She looked down and saw Sonic still running towards them. "Sonic!" She screamed into her radio flying towards the wires he was approaching. "Sonic stop; it's a trap!"

There was a loud burst of static and Eggman's cold voice answered. "Ah, squealing on me are you? Too bad he can't hear you little girl."

Miley swallowed. Eggman sounded much different now, far more like the monster she'd heard about. She turned and saw Sonic wasn't slowing down, so she realised that Eggman was telling the truth.

What could she do? She couldn't fly faster than Sonic could run. She had her emergency guns and knives still but Eggman had already shown her that he couldn't be touched. What could she do?

Miley glanced towards Sonic again and made up her mind. She pinned her arms to her side and stopped spinning her tails, letting herself fall towards the trap. Maybe she couldn't stop Sonic from hitting the trap but she could disable the wire if she got there first.

She let herself drop for a short time longer, getting closer to the ground before spinning her tails again to slow her fall. She didn't try and halt it; rather she angled her fall so that she was flying towards the wire with increased speed. "Come on, come on," She thought as she pushed herself forward. "You could see how far away Sonic is; you can fly to here before he gets there. You aren't going to be useless anymore."

(Sonic's POV)

Sonic had never felt so slow before.

He was used to feeling that the world moved too slowly, especially since he was always moving so much faster than everything around him. But never had he himself felt so slow, as though he was barely moving at all. He was pushing himself to move as fast as he was able and it didn't feel like enough.

"Hang in there Miley," He thought as he raced forward. "Just hang on until I get there. Don't try and face him yourself."

He kept pushing, wishing he'd stopped to take a Ring before leaving to boost his speed but he hadn't left enough time even for that. He was kicking himself for being short-sighted right now but he couldn't change what had happened. He had to reach Eggman now.

A quick beep in his ear alerted him to his map. He was close! He could see the destination on the map getting closer, and he tried to put on a bother burst of speed...

Something slammed into him, hitting him all over. He felt bursts of pain from his ribs, his legs, and all over his face and sternum. Something caught him in the throat and he gagged, his throat closing but his lungs trying to release air as his stomach took a hit. He bounced away his momentum carrying him away from whatever he hit.

He hit the ground hard, sending waves of pain throughout his body, and Sonic felt himself let out a moan. He couldn't move, his body wouldn't respond. "What hit me?" A very dazed hedgehog thought to himself.

A sharp sound caught his attention but Sonic was too dazed to even identify where it was coming from. But his dazed brain suddenly identified it as slow, sarcastic clapping.

"Bravo hedgehog," Eggman's voice boomed. "I couldn't have sprung the trap better if you had volunteered to test it." His face suddenly appeared in Sonic's view. "How do you feel, rat?"

Sonic stared at Eggman for a moment, trying to determine exactly what the man was saying. "How about I get back to that one Eggy," He replied as cheerfully as he could manages with limited air. "I've got admit, whatever that was it hit me pretty hard."

"It should have sliced you to pieces is what it should have done," Eggman growled. "You ran into steel wires at six times the speed of sound. It should have torn you apart."

"Guess I'm just lucky doc," Sonic told him. "Besides, you tried that gig before, remeber? I didn't get anything other than a bruise."

"I remember, and that is why I needed you moving faster this time. I was sure it would work. No matter." Eggman scowled. "I'll have plenty of time to dissect you."

That got Sonic's attention. "Dissecting me? That would imply that I'm dead."

Eggman smiled and it sent a shiver down Sonic's spine. "Oh really? I couldn't have thought of that, could I have?"

Sonic swallowed heavily. "You're really going to kill me Uncle?" Sonic asked quietly.

Eggman stared at him for a second, his eyes widening. "What did you call me?" He asked sharply.

"You and Uncle Chuck did say you were brothers," Sonic told him, his voice still quiet. "So are you going to kill me Uncle?"

Eggman stared at him, partly in horror but mostly in confusion. "That's not possible," He said quietly. "You're dead."

"Why would I be?" Sonic asked.

"But, he couldn't have. They're signals went dead. You all were dead." Eggman's eyes were wild, as if he couldn't comprehend what he was saying. "I killed you."

Before Sonic could reply, Eggman's eyes suddenly snapped back to normal and he glared at the Hedgehog. "Nice try with distracting me but it won't work again. What could you possibly be waiting for, help?"

Sonic attempted to sit up and finally found his limbs were responding and he managed to force himself into an almost upright position. "Not really," Sonic told him. "Mostly I just wanted to be able move again. You know, see it coming."

Egman snorted. "Pride. Another wasted emotion. That and that desperate need of yours to save your friends. You are proof that emotions destroy you."

Sonic shrugged. "Yeah, I am. Mind you I quite like hope. Hope's a good emotion."

"Hope? You have broken ribs, most likely a concussion, internal bleeding and your right thigh bone has almost pierced the skin. Even if I didn't kill you your injuries would have you dead in minutes. What hope do you have?" Eggman sneered.

That was the point that Miley dropped out of the sky, spinning and slamming her tails directly down onto the dome that protected Eggman's head. She drove his dome into the ground before flipping away from him, panting as she landed.

"You stupid, arrogant child!" Eggman roared. Sonic's eyes widened at the reaction but Eggman wasn't paying attention to him. "You couldn't leave it alone could you? What did you hope to achieve with that? You can't damage the glass!"

"Maybe not but those intake vents for your jets certainly aren't fans of the dirt," Miley told him. "And let's not even get started on your design flaws on the bottom half of that stupid dome."

"Design flaws? Who do you think you're talking to?" Eggman snapped.

"A major disappointment honestly. I mean, surely such a genius would have noticed that after all the work he put into making himself untouchable by Sonic would have realised that the bottom half of his transport was vulnerable." Sonic couldn't see her face but he could hear the grin in her voice.

"Impossible!" Eggman yelled at her. "I am this world's greatest mind and my designs are not that flawed!"

Miley shrugged and spun once, slashing her tails across the base of his carrier. It wasn't immediately noticeable but Sonic saw a large dent form where she hit. "You're right. A dent like that is for aesthetics and isn't a problem with the design."

Eggman was nearly purple with rage. "You stupid animal!" He roared at her, spittle flying from his mouth. A half dozen arms extended from the sides of the carrier, each wielding a different weapon. "You stupid, arrogant, worthless animal!"

His heart caught in his throat as he watched Eggman start to attack Miley. She barely even flinched as the first arm came towards her; she just turned and slammed her tails onto the middle joint. From there she jumped up and started flying to avoid a second.

He couldn't believe it but Miley was taking apart Eggman's robot piece by piece. She flew past his attacks, dodging almost all his attacks save for a few close scrapes with the arm with a hammer. But as he watched, Sonic felt a growing sense of dread as he watched Eggman activate more weapons, this time guns and a few bombs being activated. Miley could take out any of Eggman's creations she could get close to but no Freedom Fighter was bulletproof.

He willed himself upright, his body shaking from pain. He began pulling on all the Chaos Energy he could out of the air and letting it gather around him. He absorbed all that he could before releasing it, letting the Chaos soak back into the air, until the wind let him hover upright about a foot off the ground. "That's enough Eggman," Sonic told him quietly. His arms were shaking but this time it wasn't from the pain.

Eggman froze. He suddenly felt the sheer amount of Chaos next to him, and felt it growing at a controlled pace. "What do you think you're doing Hedgehog?" Eggman asked, his voice cold and tense.

"You know what I'm doing." Sonic told him.

"You'll destroy yourself," Eggman snapped.

"Both of us," Sonic replied calmly. "Either this destroys you, or Miley does while you're crippled. Either way, we both die."

Eggman stared at Sonic in complete amazement. "Why?" He asked. "Your king is gone."

Sonic just looked at Miley before looking at Eggman. "You wouldn't understand," He said simply. "Now what do you choose Eggman? Do we both die, or do you walk away and we fight again later?"

Eggman stared for a moment, before slowly shaking his head. "Another piece. Always another piece. Why can't it end? Why can't I figure it out?" He muttered. Eggman gave Miley and odd look before retracting his weapons. "Another one then Sonic? I thought you had learned by now."

"Never," Sonic replied.

Eggman nodded once. "Another day, Rodent. I will kill you," He pushed a button and with a hiss, the bottom, dirt-encased layer of his dome fell away and he took off, leaving Sonic floating by a stunned Miley.

Sonic let out a sigh and let the air set him down. The Chaos Energy he had summoned was leeching away, draining him as it did. He had pushed his limit beyond what he should have, and now he could feel the price settling in. Miley ran over to him, catching his head and shoulders as he fell. "Sonic?" She asked hesitantly.

He could feel her arms shaking under his shoulders, sending small waves of pain through his torso. He forced a grin anyway. "Good show, huh kid? We showed him."

"You're hurt," Miley whispered as her hands lightly traced his ribs, invoking an involuntary grimace. "We need to get you back."

"Yeah," Sonic grunted, closing his eyes.

"Give me a minute; I can call the Tornado remotely and-" Miley started, only for Sonic to cut her off.

"Leave Elias helpless. He might have Antoine and Bunnie to guard him but he needs the Tornado to get him back home," Sonic told her. He felt his chest tighten as he spoke, and his ribs reminded him that breathing wasn't a good plan right now. "No. We'll head home another way."

Miley raised an eyebrow. "You can't run, and I might be in good shape but there is no way I can fly us home and you're completely drained so you can't even use your Chaos Powers."

"I can use one," Sonic told her firmly.

"No you can't," Miley snapped back. "I know you don't have enough control to teleport unless you're drained but look at yourself Sonic! You've got more broken bones than whole bones, and you're internally bleeding. You can't risk it."

He didn't answer, instead drawing on the last of his Chaos Energies. "No choice," He told her. "Look up."

Miley did, and she then saw the two thin trails of smoke in the sky. He saw her face grow a bit paler as recognition set in. "Missiles," She breathed.

"No way to outrun them, or send them away," Sonic told her. He gripped her arm but he could feel his hand wasn't holding very tightly. "Grab onto me and hold tight."

Miley did, grabbing hold of him and cradling his head to her chest. "I've got you," She told him.

Sonic let out a pained breathe from the sudden pressure on his ribs but he didn't let it break his focus. "Chaos," He bit out, "Control!"


End file.
